Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5259 NED02
NGC 5259 NED02 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 851.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 851.9 million light-years (261.19 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 335,000 light-years · 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −23.45 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.63 |
| Luminosity | 10 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 39m 24.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +30° 59′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.63. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 59° S. North of latitude 59° 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 852 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 15,111.9 billion years.