Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5866
NGC 5866 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 31.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 31.3 million light-years (9.60 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 59,000 light-years · 0.68 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.94 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.97 |
| Luminosity | 0.41 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 06m 29.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +55° 45′ 48″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.97. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 34° S. North of latitude 34° 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 31 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 555.4 billion years.