Barred spiral galaxy · Pavo
NGC 6872 Condor Galaxy
mag 11.64.7′ across
About
NGC 6872, the Condor Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy of magnitude 11.6 in Pavo, about 4.7′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 6872 is in the constellation Pavo.
- Best evenings: around early September it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 9° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)Too faint for binoculars.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A small, faint smudge that needs a dark sky and patience.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 6872, PGC 64413 |
|---|---|
| Type | Barred spiral galaxy (SBb) |
| Magnitude | 11.6The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 4.7′ × 1.8′position angle 45°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 24.0 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 16m 56.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −70° 46′ 04″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →