Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6983
NGC 6983 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Microscopium, 236.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Microscopium |
| Distance | 236.1 million light-years (72.39 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,500 light-years · 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.78 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.52 |
| Luminosity | 0.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 56m 43.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −43° 59′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.52. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 46° N. South of latitude 46° S it never sets. 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 236 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 4,188.3 billion years.