Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6689
NGC 6689 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 21.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 21.8 million light-years (6.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,200 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.11 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.01 |
| Luminosity | 0.012 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 34m 50.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +70° 31′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.01. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 19° S. North of latitude 19° 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 22 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 385.9 billion years.