Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6577
NGC 6577 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 242.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 242.2 million light-years (74.26 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 90,300 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.45 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.90 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 12m 01.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 27′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 69° S. North of latitude 69° 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 242 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 4,296.5 billion years.