Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6491
NGC 6491 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 289.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 289.4 million light-years (88.74 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 88,100 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.61 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.13 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 50m 00.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 31′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.13. 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 289 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 5,134.3 billion years.