Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5023
NGC 5023 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 21.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 21.6 million light-years (6.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 42,300 light-years · 0.48 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.40 |
| Luminosity | 0.052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 12m 11.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 02′ 19″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.40. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 46° S. North of latitude 46° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 22 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 382.4 billion years.