Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6679
NGC 6679 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 315.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 315.7 million light-years (96.79 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 85,500 light-years · 0.98 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 33m 30.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +67° 08′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.06. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 23° S. North of latitude 23° 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 316 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 5,600.1 billion years.