The sky around NGC 6040/PGC 56942, 3° across, north up low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 6040/PGC 56942 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 6040 · PGC 56932 · UGC 10165

NGC 6040/PGC 56942

Galaxy pair (SABc) in Hercules

Galaxy pair (SABc) in Hercules, 601 million light-years away.

HERCULES

The box shows where NGC 6040/PGC 56942 sits in Hercules.

Constellation
HerculesHer
Magnitude
14.6visual
Size
1.4′ × 24″about 244,600 light-years
Distance
601 million lylight-years
Best month
Julyat 9 pm
Best with
Telescope

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 is a galaxy pair (SABc) in Hercules, 601 million light-years away

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 (NGC 6040, PGC 56932, UGC 10165, Arp 122, PGC 56942) is a galaxy pair (SABc) in the constellation Hercules, 601 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.6 and spans 1.4′ × 24″ of sky, about 244,600 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in July.

Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 is Arp 122, one of Arp's elliptical galaxies close to and perturbing spiral galaxies

Halton Arp photographed it for his Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies (1966) as field Arp 122. It is in his group of elliptical and elliptical-like, Arp 102 to 145, under the category Elliptical galaxies close to and perturbing spiral galaxies. The field holds 2 galaxies.

Other fields in the same category:

Finding NGC 6040/PGC 56942 from Kornephoros

Kornephoros NGC 6040/PGC 56942 HERCULES

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 lies 7.1° southwest of Kornephoros, the magnitude 2.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 is highest in the evening in July

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -8° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 76° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 83° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 80° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 53° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -55° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -70° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -48° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 71° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 49° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -79° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -51° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -67° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -82° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -69° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: -76° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -52° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: -67° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm below horizon low 20-40° 40-60° overhead-ish

The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 72°S, and never sets north of 72°N.

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 is 601 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 6040/PGC 56942 tonight left it about 601 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. It ranks 401 of 422 by distance among the galaxies on Go Astronomy. Distance source: Hubble flow, z=0.043003, H0=70 (Stellarium DSO catalog).

Objects within 6° of NGC 6040/PGC 56942

No other Messier, Caldwell or Herschel 400 object lies within 6°.

NGC 6040/PGC 56942 catalog data

FieldValue
DesignationsNGC 6040, PGC 56932, UGC 10165, Arp 122, PGC 56942
Typegalaxy pair (SABc)
ConstellationHercules
Right ascension (J2000)16h 04.4m
Declination (J2000)+17° 45′
Magnitude14.6
Surface brightness22.8 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size1.4′ × 24″
True size244,600 light-years
Distance601 million light-years (Hubble flow, z=0.043003, H0=70 (Stellarium DSO catalog))
Best monthJuly
Best withTelescope