Fireworks Galaxy
Scientific overview
Fireworks Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Cygnus. It shines at apparent magnitude 9.05 and spans about 11.4 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD and redshift from NED · NGC 6946
| Distance | 1.9243e+7 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 63,813 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 60,678 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | 0.000133 ± 3.3356e-6 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | 44.965496 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 308.71805 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 60.153678 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2011ApJS..192....6L · distance indicator: T-F · catalogued value · source value 5.9 Mpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (minor axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Redshift (z): NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database · NED · ObjectLookup · Redshift · 2016MNRAS.455..754B · catalogued value · NED quality UUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2002LEDA.........0P · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2006AJ....131.1163S · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2006AJ....131.1163S · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). Redshift is the object's measured redshift — a negative value is a blueshift (the galaxy is approaching, its motion dominated by local rather than cosmic expansion). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Cygnus
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America NebulaC 20 · NGC 7000 | H II region | 4 | 120 |
| M 39M 39 · NGC 7092 | Open cluster | 4.6 | 19.5 |
| NGC 6871NGC 6871 | Open cluster | 5.2 | 9.3 |
| M 29M 29 · NGC 6913 | Open cluster | 6.6 | 3.6 |
| NGC 6811NGC 6811 | Open cluster | 6.8 | 7.2 |
| Eastern VeilC 33 · NGC 6992 | Supernova remnant | 7 | 60 |
| Eastern VeilNGC 6995 | Supernova remnant | 7 | 12 |
| NGC 7063NGC 7063 | Open cluster | 7 | 6.3 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.