Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 5959
NGC 5959 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Libra, 335.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Libra |
| Distance | 335.3 million light-years (102.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 191,500 light-years · 2.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.78 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.28 |
| Luminosity | 5.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 37m 22.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −16° 35′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.28. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 73° N. South of latitude 73° 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 335 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 5,947.8 billion years.