Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6685
NGC 6685 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lyra, 306.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Distance | 306.0 million light-years (93.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 133,100 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.52 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.34 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 39m 58.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +39° 58′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.34. 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 306 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 5,427.7 billion years.