Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6566
NGC 6566 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 246.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 246.9 million light-years (75.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,600 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.29 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.11 |
| Luminosity | 0.57 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 07m 00.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 15′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.11. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 247 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 4,379.8 billion years.