Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5056
NGC 5056 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 260.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 260.6 million light-years (79.89 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 170,000 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.89 |
| Luminosity | 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 16m 12.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 57′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° 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 261 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 4,622.3 billion years.