Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6461
NGC 6461 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 571.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 571.8 million light-years (175.31 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 158,400 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.29 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 39m 56.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 02′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 572 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 10,143.1 billion years.