Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 5992
NGC 5992 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 443.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 443.5 million light-years (135.97 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 158,600 light-years · 1.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.47 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.20 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 44m 21.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 05′ 11″ |
| 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 49° S. North of latitude 49° 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 443 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 7,866.9 billion years.