Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6560
NGC 6560 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 328.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 328.1 million light-years (100.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 131,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.29 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.72 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 05m 14.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 52′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.72. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° 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 328 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 5,820.5 billion years.