Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6542
NGC 6542 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 31.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 31.2 million light-years (9.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 13,300 light-years · 0.15 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.78 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.009 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 59m 38.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 21′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 29° S. North of latitude 29° 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 31 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 553.1 billion years.