Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6783
NGC 6783 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Cygnus, 421.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Distance | 421.9 million light-years (129.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 135,400 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.63 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.93 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 16m 47.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 01′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.93. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° N 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 422 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 7,483.3 billion years.