Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5720
NGC 5720 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 363.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 363.0 million light-years (111.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 197,000 light-years · 2.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.16 |
| Luminosity | 2.9 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 38m 33.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 48′ 55″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.16. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° 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 363 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 6,439.0 billion years.