NGC 5872 is a lenticular galaxy in Libra, 288 million light-years away
NGC 5872 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Libra , 288 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.8′ × 58″ of sky, about 148,200 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 5872 from Zubeneschamali
Zubeneschamali
NGC 5872
LIBRA
NGC 5872 lies 2.6° southwest of Zubeneschamali , the magnitude 2.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 5872 is highest in the evening in June
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -0° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -41° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -51° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -36° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -63° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -70° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -67° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -78° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -68° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -81° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -65° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 75° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 67° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -75° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 81° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 70° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -67° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 78° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 69° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 41° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -57° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 64° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 56° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -38° 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 southern hemisphere and north to about 79°N, and never sets south of 79°S.
NGC 5872 is 288 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5872 tonight left it about 288 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5872
26 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5861, mixed spiral galaxy, 26′ NGC 5885, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 5878, spiral galaxy, 2.9° NGC 5915, barred spiral galaxy, 3.1° NGC 5892, mixed spiral galaxy, 4.0° NGC 5812, elliptical galaxy, 4.7° NGC 5796, elliptical galaxy, 5.9°
NGC 5872 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Libra Designations NGC 5872, 2MASX J15105568-1128477, MCG -02-39-005, PGC 054169 Type lenticular galaxy (S0) Right ascension (J2000) 15h 10.9m Declination (J2000) -11° 29′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 24.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.8′ × 58″ Position angle 10° True size 148,200 light-years Distance 288 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 7,386 km/s, redshift 0.02494 Best with Large telescope Best month June Catalog page NGC 5501 to 6000
