Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 6627
NGC 6627 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Hercules, 245.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Distance | 245.6 million light-years (75.31 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.76 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.62 |
| Luminosity | 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 22m 38.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 41′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.62. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 246 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 4,357.3 billion years.