NGC 6009 is a lenticular galaxy in Serpens, 752 million light-years away
NGC 6009 (PGC 056312) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Serpens , 752 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 40″ × 16″ of sky, about 144,300 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 6009 from Unukalhai
Unukalhai
NGC 6009
SERPENS
NGC 6009 lies 6.1° north of Unukalhai , the magnitude 2.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 6009 is highest in the evening in July
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 0° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -11° 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: 64° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 70° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -44° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 78° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -65° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 80° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 51° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -74° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 75° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -67° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -79° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 66° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -71° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -77° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -70° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 33° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 10° 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: -64° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -57° 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 78°S, and never sets north of 78°N.
NGC 6009 is 752 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 6009 tonight left it about 752 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 6009
62 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 6012, barred spiral galaxy, 2.6° NGC 5970, barred spiral galaxy, 3.6° NGC 5957, spiral galaxy, 4.4° IC 4593, planetary nebula, 4.5° NGC 6049, star, 5.0° NGC 5954, mixed spiral galaxy, 5.5° NGC 5953, lenticular galaxy, 5.6° NGC 5936, barred spiral galaxy, 5.8°
NGC 6009 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Serpens Designations NGC 6009, PGC 056312, 2MASX J15532407+1203311, SDSS J155324.09+120330.8 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 15h 53.4m Declination (J2000) +12° 04′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 23.5 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 40″ × 16″ Position angle 167° True size 144,300 light-years Distance 752 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 10,301 km/s, redshift 0.03497 Best with Large telescope Best month July Catalog page NGC 6001 to 6500
