Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5223
NGC 5223 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 335.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 335.7 million light-years (102.93 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,700 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.39 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.67 |
| Luminosity | 3.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 34m 25.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +34° 41′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.67. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 55° S. North of latitude 55° 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 336 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 5,955.3 billion years.