Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5278
NGC 5278 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 351.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 351.4 million light-years (107.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 120,400 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.99 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.17 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 41m 39.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 40′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 34° S. North of latitude 34° 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 351 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 6,233.0 billion years.