Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5060
NGC 5060 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 290.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 290.4 million light-years (89.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 144,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.54 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.21 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 17m 16.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 02′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.21. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° 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 290 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 5,151.7 billion years.