NGC 5518 is an elliptical galaxy in Bootes, 210 million light-years away
NGC 5518 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Bootes , 210 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.3′ × 1.1′ of sky, about 78,000 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in June.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding NGC 5518 from Arcturus
Arcturus
NGC 5518
BOöTES
NGC 5518 lies 1.7° north of Arcturus , the magnitude -0.1 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 5518 is highest in the evening in June
JAN
FEB
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APR
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JUL
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SEP
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DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -16° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -69° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -54° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -78° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -85° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -80° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -54° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 69°S, and never sets north of 69°N.
NGC 5518 is 210 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5518 tonight left it about 210 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5518
72 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5518 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Bootes Designations NGC 5518, 2MASX J14134764+2050535, MCG +04-34-006, PGC 050817, SDSS J141347.67+205053.8 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 14h 13.8m Declination (J2000) +20° 51′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.3′ × 1.1′ Position angle 121° True size 78,000 light-years Distance 210 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,720 km/s, redshift 0.01587 Best with Large telescope Best month June Catalog page NGC 5501 to 6000
