Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6466
NGC 6466 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 316.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 316.6 million light-years (97.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 99,100 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.18 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.76 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 48m 08.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 23′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° 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 317 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 5,615.7 billion years.