Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6744
NGC 6744 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pavo, 27.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Distance | 27.1 million light-years (8.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 172,100 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.00 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 09m 45.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −63° 51′ 28″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.00); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 26° N. South of latitude 26° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 27 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 480.2 billion years.