Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5808
NGC 5808 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 337.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 337.8 million light-years (103.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 115,700 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.52 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.56 |
| Luminosity | 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 54m 02.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +73° 07′ 54″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 17° S. North of latitude 17° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in May, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 338 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 5,991.8 billion years.