Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5739
NGC 5739 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 250.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 250.5 million light-years (76.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 149,100 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.55 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.88 |
| Luminosity | 4.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 42m 28.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 50′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.88. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 251 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 4,444.1 billion years.