Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5442
NGC 5442 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 399.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 399.9 million light-years (122.61 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 172,800 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.04 |
| Luminosity | 4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 04m 43.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −9° 42′ 49″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.04. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 80° 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 400 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 7,094.0 billion years.