Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6487
NGC 6487 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 356.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 356.1 million light-years (109.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 185,400 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.75 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.44 |
| Luminosity | 5.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 52m 41.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 50′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° 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 356 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 6,316.4 billion years.