Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 2500
NGC 2500 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 40.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 40.4 million light-years (12.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 40,200 light-years · 0.46 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.37 |
| Luminosity | 0.19 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 01m 53.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 44′ 14″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.37. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in January, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 40 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 717.4 billion years.