Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5147
NGC 5147 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 50.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 50.7 million light-years (15.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,700 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.34 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.62 |
| Luminosity | 0.095 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 26m 19.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 06′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.62. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° 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 51 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 899.1 billion years.