Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6971
NGC 6971 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Delphinus, 255.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Delphinus |
| Distance | 255.6 million light-years (78.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 100,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.54 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 49m 23.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 59′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.54. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° S. It stands highest at midnight in August, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 256 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 4,533.7 billion years.