It lies 490 million light years away in the constellation Hercules.

[4] A 2016 study, however, gave an even higher number (around 39,000) suggesting also that the halo of this galaxy blends smoothly with the intra-cluster medium.

The galaxy harbors a supermassive black hole at its center with a mass of nearly 30 billion M☉ based on dynamical modelling.

[6] NGC 6166 is known to host an active nucleus, classified as an FR I source, which powers two symmetric parsec-scale radio jets and radio lobes.

[7] It has been proposed that a number of O-type stars may be present in the center of NGC 6166.