Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 2505
NGC 2505 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Lynx, 454.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Distance | 454.2 million light-years (139.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 226,400 light-years · 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.89 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.83 |
| Luminosity | 6.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 8h 04m 06.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +53° 32′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.83. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 36° S. North of latitude 36° 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 454 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 8,057.9 billion years.