Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6478
NGC 6478 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 315.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 315.7 million light-years (96.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 190,500 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.57 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 48m 38.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 09′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.57. 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 316 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 5,600.6 billion years.