Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5280
NGC 5280 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 508.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 508.7 million light-years (155.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 187,100 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.19 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.78 |
| Luminosity | 3.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 42m 55.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 52′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.78. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 60° S. North of latitude 60° 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 509 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 9,023.5 billion years.