Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5408
NGC 5408 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 15.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 15.7 million light-years (4.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 13,200 light-years · 0.15 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.31 |
| Luminosity | 0.03 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 03m 21.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −41° 22′ 35″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.31. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 49° N. South of latitude 49° 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 16 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 278.3 billion years.