Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5306
NGC 5306 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 336.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 336.1 million light-years (103.04 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 199,100 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.92 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.15 |
| Luminosity | 6.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 49m 11.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −7° 13′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.15. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 83° N. 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 336 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 5,961.7 billion years.