Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6616
NGC 6616 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 258.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 258.9 million light-years (79.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 146,800 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.25 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.25 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 17m 41.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 14′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.25. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 68° S. North of latitude 68° 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 259 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 4,592.2 billion years.