Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6653
NGC 6653 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pavo, 240.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Distance | 240.6 million light-years (73.76 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 140,600 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.03 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 44m 38.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −73° 15′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.03. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 17° N. South of latitude 17° S 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 241 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 4,267.6 billion years.