Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5103
NGC 5103 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 59.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 59.5 million light-years (18.23 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 31,000 light-years · 0.35 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.58 |
| Luminosity | 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 20m 30.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +43° 05′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.58. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 47° S. North of latitude 47° 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 59 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 1,054.8 billion years.