Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5221
NGC 5221 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 325.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 325.2 million light-years (99.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 183,600 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.05 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.94 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 34m 55.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 49′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.94. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° 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 325 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 5,768.4 billion years.