Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6580
NGC 6580 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 272.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 272.2 million light-years (83.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 142,700 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.41 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 12m 33.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +21° 25′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.41. 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 272 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 4,829.4 billion years.