Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5551
NGC 5551 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 349.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 349.3 million light-years (107.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 89,300 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.92 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 18m 54.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 27′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.92. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° 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 349 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 6,197.2 billion years.