Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5398
NGC 5398 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 56.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 56.8 million light-years (17.41 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 31,400 light-years · 0.36 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.068 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 01m 21.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −33° 03′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 57° N. South of latitude 57° S 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 57 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,007.3 billion years.