Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5942
NGC 5942 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Serpens, 496.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Distance | 496.8 million light-years (152.33 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 126,400 light-years · 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.20 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 31m 36.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 18′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.20. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° 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 497 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 8,813.5 billion years.