Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5258
NGC 5258 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 314.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 314.8 million light-years (96.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 169,000 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.85 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 39m 57.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +0° 49′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.85. 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 315 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 5,585.0 billion years.