Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5654
NGC 5654 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 400.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 400.2 million light-years (122.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 205,100 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.94 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.50 |
| Luminosity | 6.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 30m 01.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 21′ 39″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.50. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 400 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 7,099.2 billion years.