Galaxy · Elliptical
UGC 5944
UGC 5944 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Leo, 36.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Distance | 36.1 million light-years (11.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 12,100 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.82 |
| Luminosity | 0.0063 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 10h 50m 19.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 16′ 19″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.82. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 36 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 640.5 billion years.