Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5273
NGC 5273 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 49.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 49.6 million light-years (15.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,600 light-years · 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.15 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.76 |
| Luminosity | 0.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 42m 08.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +35° 39′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.76. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 50 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 879.4 billion years.