Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5647
NGC 5647 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 341.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 341.5 million light-years (104.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 121,600 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.22 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.88 |
| Luminosity | 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 30m 36.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 52′ 36″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.88. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 78° S. North of latitude 78° 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 341 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 6,057.7 billion years.