Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6503
NGC 6503 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 17.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 17.2 million light-years (5.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,000 light-years · 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.71 |
| Luminosity | 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 49m 27.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +70° 08′ 41″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.71. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 20° S. North of latitude 20° 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 17 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 304.9 billion years.