NGC 6822 is Barnard's Galaxy, an irregular dwarf galaxy that is a satellite of our own Milky Way Galaxy. It is located in Sagittarius.

NGC 6822 is similar in morphology and appearance to the Magellanic Clouds, which are also satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Barnard's Galaxy shines at magnitude 8.7v, but it is hard to observe because of its low surface brightness and location in a rich star field close to the Milky Way.

Several bright red bubbles can be seen in the image which are huge emission nebulae inside of Barnard's Galaxy. The one at top right of the galaxy is PGC 63596 (The Bubble Nebula), and to its left is PGC 63600 (The Ring Nebula). These are not to be confused with the NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, and M57, the Ring Nebula, in our own galaxy.

NGC 6822 is estimated to be 10 billion years old, but has several star forming regions with hot young blue stars.

It is 1.5 million light-years distant. It has an apparent size of 15.4 x 14.2 arcminutes in the sky, which corresponds to a true size of 7,000 light-years in diameter.

NGC 6822 was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884 with a 6-inch refractor.

NGC 6822 Catalogs: NGC 6822, IC 4895 Common Name: Barnard's Galaxy Object Type: IB(s)m Galaxy Magnitude: 8.7v Size: 15.4' x 14.2' Constellation: Sagittarius Image Field Centered At: RA: 19h 44m 55s Dec: -14° 48' 16"