Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5256 NED01
NGC 5256 NED01 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 385.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 385.5 million light-years (118.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 277,800 light-years · 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.69 |
| Luminosity | 5.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 38m 17.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +48° 16′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 42° S. North of latitude 42° 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 386 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 6,838.8 billion years.