Galaxy
Barnard's Galaxy
Barred irregular galaxy · C57 · NGC 6822
Barred irregular galaxy in Sagittarius
Photo: The original uploader was Clh288 at English Wikipedia. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
NGC 6822 is a barred irregular galaxy approximately 1.6 million light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. Part of the Local Group of galaxies, it was discovered by E. E. Barnard on 17 August 1884, with a six-inch refractor telescope. It is the closest non-satellite galaxy to the Milky Way, but lies just outside its virial radius. It is similar in structure and composition to the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is about 7,000 light-years in diameter.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~2.3 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+9
Apparent size
17.4′ × 16.8′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
C57 · NGC 6822
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 57 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 6822.
- Found in the constellation Sagittarius.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
