Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6552
NGC 6552 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 370.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 370.1 million light-years (113.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 196,700 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.20 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 00m 07.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +66° 36′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.20. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 23° S. North of latitude 23° 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 370 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 6,564.6 billion years.