Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5582
NGC 5582 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 63.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 63.5 million light-years (19.46 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 42,000 light-years · 0.48 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.31 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.14 |
| Luminosity | 0.23 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 20m 43.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +39° 41′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.14. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 50° S. North of latitude 50° 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 63 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 1,125.9 billion years.