Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5050
NGC 5050 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 275.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 275.3 million light-years (84.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 114,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.57 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.06 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 15m 41.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 52′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.06. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 275 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 4,883.2 billion years.