Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5253
NGC 5253 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 11.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 11.6 million light-years (3.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 23,700 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.06 |
| Luminosity | 0.052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 39m 55.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −31° 38′ 24″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.06. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 58° N. South of latitude 58° 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 12 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 206.0 billion years.