Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5717
NGC 5717 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 515.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 515.3 million light-years (158.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,800 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.62 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.37 |
| Luminosity | 4.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 38m 37.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 39′ 47″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.37. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° 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 515 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 9,141.6 billion years.