Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6597
NGC 6597 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 386.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular (estimated) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 386.8 million light-years (118.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 142,900 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.29 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 11m 13.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 10′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 29° S. North of latitude 29° 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 387 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 6,861.4 billion years.