Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5907
NGC 5907 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 31.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 31.1 million light-years (9.53 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 105,700 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.24 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.66 |
| Luminosity | 0.54 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 15m 53.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +56° 19′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.66. 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 551.4 billion years.