Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6662
NGC 6662 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lyra, 247.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Distance | 247.0 million light-years (75.74 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 112,800 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.90 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 34m 11.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 03′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 58° S. North of latitude 58° 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 247 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 4,382.2 billion years.