Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6598
NGC 6598 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 387.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 387.1 million light-years (118.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.53 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.84 |
| Luminosity | 4.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 08m 56.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 04′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.84. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° 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 6,867.2 billion years.