Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5247
NGC 5247 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 63.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 63.1 million light-years (19.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 116,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.04 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.39 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 38m 03.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −17° 53′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.39. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 72° N. South of latitude 72° S 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 63 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 1,120.1 billion years.