Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5102
NGC 5102 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 11.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 11.1 million light-years (3.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 43,800 light-years · 0.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.96 |
| Luminosity | 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 21m 57.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −36° 37′ 47″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.96); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 53° N. South of latitude 53° 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 11 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 196.7 billion years.