Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5839
NGC 5839 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 57.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 57.1 million light-years (17.50 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 28,600 light-years · 0.33 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.29 |
| Luminosity | 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 05m 27.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +1° 38′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.29. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° S. 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 57 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1,012.5 billion years.