NGC 6239 is a barred spiral galaxy in Hercules, 71 million light-years away
NGC 6239 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Hercules , 71 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.4 and spans 2.3′ × 1.1′ of sky, about 47,400 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, 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.
Finding NGC 6239 from η Her
η Her
NGC 6239
HERCULES
NGC 6239 lies 4.1° north of η Her , the magnitude 3.5 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 6239 is highest in the evening in July
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 82° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 71° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 86° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 48° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 77° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -11° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 67° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -38° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -67° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -77° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -60° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -86° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -65° 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 47°S, and never sets north of 47°N.
NGC 6239 is 71 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 6239 tonight left it about 71 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 6239
50 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 6173, elliptical galaxy, 4.3° NGC 6229, globular cluster, 4.8° M92 Messier 92, globular cluster, 5.0° NGC 6146, elliptical galaxy, 5.0° NGC 6166, elliptical galaxy, 5.1°
NGC 6239 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Hercules Designations NGC 6239, 2MASX J16500502+4244234, IRAS 16484+4249, MCG +07-35-001, PGC 059083, SDSS J165004.83+424422.9, SDSS J165004.96+424422.5, SDSS J165004.98+424422.8 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBb) Right ascension (J2000) 16h 50.1m Declination (J2000) +42° 44′ Magnitude 12.4 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 22.8 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.3′ × 1.1′ Position angle 113° True size 47,400 light-years Distance 71 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 934 km/s, redshift 0.00311 Best with Large telescope Best month July Catalog page NGC 6001 to 6500
