Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 6761
NGC 6761 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 263.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 263.2 million light-years (80.71 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 173,000 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.88 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.65 |
| Luminosity | 2.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 15m 04.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −50° 39′ 24″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.65. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 39° N. South of latitude 39° 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 263 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 4,669.7 billion years.