Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5257
NGC 5257 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 316.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 316.7 million light-years (97.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 141,400 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.98 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 39m 52.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +0° 50′ 23″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 89° S. 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 317 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 5,618.6 billion years.