Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5204
NGC 5204 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 15.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 15.2 million light-years (4.66 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,400 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.94 |
| Luminosity | 0.04 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 29m 36.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +58° 25′ 04″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.94. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 32° S. North of latitude 32° 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 15 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 269.6 billion years.