Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5855
NGC 5855 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 494.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 494.3 million light-years (151.56 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 145,400 light-years · 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.03 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.87 |
| Luminosity | 2.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 07m 49.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 59′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.87. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° 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 494 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 8,769.0 billion years.