Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6786
NGC 6786 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 349.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 349.4 million light-years (107.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 117,500 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.03 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.12 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 10m 53.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +73° 24′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 17° S. North of latitude 17° 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 349 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 6,198.9 billion years.