Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5279
NGC 5279 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 353.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 353.2 million light-years (108.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 95,200 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.87 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.97 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 41m 43.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 40′ 26″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.30. 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 353 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 6,265.4 billion years.