NGC 5056 is a mixed spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, 224 million light-years away
NGC 5056 is a mixed spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 224 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.1 and spans 1.6′ × 49″ of sky, about 105,500 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in May.
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 5056 from Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli
NGC 5056
COMA BERENICES
NGC 5056 lies 8.5° southeast of Cor Caroli , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 5056 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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MAY
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JUL
AUG
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OCT
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -18° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -17° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -45° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -54° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -69° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -73° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -48° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 18° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -72° 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 59°S, and never sets north of 59°N.
NGC 5056 is 224 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5056 tonight left it about 224 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5056
211 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
IC 883, Magellanic spiral galaxy, 3.3° NGC 4921, early spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 4889, elliptical galaxy, 4.6° NGC 4874, elliptical galaxy, 4.7° NGC 4956, lenticular galaxy, 4.8° NGC 4793, late spiral galaxy, 5.1° NGC 4861, Magellanic spiral galaxy, 5.3° NGC 4839, elliptical galaxy, 5.4°
NGC 5056 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 5056, 2MASX J13161233+3057009, IRAS 13138+3112, MCG +05-31-166, PGC 046180, SDSS J131612.32+305701.1, UGC 08337 Type mixed spiral galaxy (SABc) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 16.2m Declination (J2000) +30° 57′ Magnitude 13.1 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.6′ × 49″ Position angle 1° True size 105,500 light-years Distance 224 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 5,598 km/s, redshift 0.01885 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 5001 to 5500
