Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6462
NGC 6462 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 536.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 536.5 million light-years (164.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,000 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.21 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 44m 48.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 54′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 28° S. North of latitude 28° 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 537 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 9,517.1 billion years.