Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 5238
NGC 5238 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 14.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 14.7 million light-years (4.51 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 9,002 light-years · 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.87 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 34m 42.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 36′ 50″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.87. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 38° S. North of latitude 38° 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 260.9 billion years.