Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5599
NGC 5599 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 336.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 336.5 million light-years (103.16 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 143,100 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.35 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 23m 50.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 34′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.35. 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 336 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 5,968.6 billion years.