Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6663
NGC 6663 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lyra, 320.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Distance | 320.8 million light-years (98.37 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 118,500 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.09 |
| Luminosity | 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 33m 33.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 02′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.09. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 50° S. North of latitude 50° 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 321 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 5,691.5 billion years.