Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5552
NGC 5552 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 353.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 353.4 million light-years (108.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,300 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.27 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.90 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 19m 03.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 01′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.90. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° 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 353 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 6,268.3 billion years.