Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 6990
NGC 6990 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Indus, 447.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Indus |
| Distance | 447.0 million light-years (137.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 188,300 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.81 |
| Luminosity | 2.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 59m 56.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −55° 33′ 43″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.81. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 34° N. South of latitude 34° 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 447 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 7,928.9 billion years.