Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5424
NGC 5424 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 277.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 277.3 million light-years (85.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 111,500 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.98 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 02m 55.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 25′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.98. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° S. 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 277 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 4,918.5 billion years.