Galaxy · Elliptical
BK5N
BK5N is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 12.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 12.3 million light-years (3.78 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 3,066 light-years · 0.035 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −11.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.69 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 04m 40.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 15′ 20″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 12 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 218.7 billion years.