Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5631
NGC 5631 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 92.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 92.2 million light-years (28.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 62,000 light-years · 0.71 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.56 |
| Luminosity | 0.83 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 26m 33.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +56° 34′ 57″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 33° S. North of latitude 33° 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 92 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,635.6 billion years.