Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5068
NGC 5068 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 17.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 17.8 million light-years (5.45 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 56,500 light-years · 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.48 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 18m 55.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −21° 02′ 21″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.48. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 69° N. South of latitude 69° S 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 18 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 315.3 billion years.