Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5504
NGC 5504 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 244.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 244.5 million light-years (74.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 151,700 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.29 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 12m 15.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 50′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 245 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 4,337.6 billion years.