Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6909
NGC 6909 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Telescopium, 129.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Telescopium |
| Distance | 129.5 million light-years (39.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,500 light-years · 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.58 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.41 |
| Luminosity | 0.74 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 27m 38.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −47° 01′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.41. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 43° N. South of latitude 43° 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 129 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,297.0 billion years.