Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5491
NGC 5491 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 274.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 274.4 million light-years (84.14 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 126,800 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.83 |
| Luminosity | 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 10m 57.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 21′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.83. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° 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 274 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 4,868.2 billion years.