Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 6688
NGC 6688 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lyra, 254.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Distance | 254.5 million light-years (78.03 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 155,700 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.33 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.13 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 40m 40.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 17′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 255 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 4,514.7 billion years.