Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5340
NGC 5340 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 502.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 502.7 million light-years (154.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 203,700 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.58 |
| Luminosity | 3.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 48m 59.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +72° 39′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.58. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 17° S. North of latitude 17° 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 503 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 8,917.6 billion years.