Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6518
NGC 6518 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 314.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 314.9 million light-years (96.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,300 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.48 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.44 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 59m 43.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 52′ 00″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° 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 315 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 5,586.8 billion years.