Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 5993
NGC 5993 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Boötes, 445.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Distance | 445.7 million light-years (136.64 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 174,400 light-years · 2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.51 |
| Luminosity | 3.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 44m 27.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 07′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.51. 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 446 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 7,905.7 billion years.