Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 5883
NGC 5883 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Libra, 345.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Libra |
| Distance | 345.7 million light-years (105.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 163,000 light-years · 1.9 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.61 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.52 |
| Luminosity | 4.8 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 15m 10.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −14° 37′ 01″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.52. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 75° N. South of latitude 75° S 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 346 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 6,132.4 billion years.