Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5474
NGC 5474 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 23.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 23.5 million light-years (7.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,900 light-years · 0.38 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.79 |
| Luminosity | 0.11 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 05m 02.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +53° 39′ 47″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.79. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 36° S. North of latitude 36° 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 23 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 416.6 billion years.