Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6955
NGC 6955 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Delphinus, 381.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Delphinus |
| Distance | 381.1 million light-years (116.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 165,800 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.68 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.66 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 44m 18.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 35′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.66. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 381 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 6,759.5 billion years.