NGC 5087 is a lenticular galaxy in Virgo, 83 million light-years away
NGC 5087 (ESO 576-035) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 83 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.1 and spans 3′ × 2.5′ of sky, about 72,500 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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 5087 from Naga
Naga
NGC 5087
VIRGO
NGC 5087 lies 2.6° north of Naga , the magnitude 3.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 5087 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -48° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -57° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -65° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -71° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -72° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 34° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -75° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -69° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 48° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -54° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 71° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 65° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -0° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -27° 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 69°N, and never sets south of 69°S.
NGC 5087 is 83 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5087 tonight left it about 83 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5087
41 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5068, late spiral galaxy, 33′ NGC 5084, lenticular galaxy, 1.2° NGC 5134, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.3° NGC 5018, elliptical galaxy, 2.1° NGC 5170, late spiral galaxy, 3.5° NGC 5042, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.6° NGC 4993, lenticular galaxy, 3.7° NGC 5085, late spiral galaxy, 3.8°
NGC 5087 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 5087, ESO 576-035, 2MASX J13202496-2036396, ESO-LV 576-0350, IRAS 13177-2021, MCG -03-34-050, PGC 046541, UGCA 350 Type lenticular galaxy (E-S0) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 20.4m Declination (J2000) -20° 37′ Magnitude 11.1 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 3′ × 2.5′ Position angle 6° True size 72,500 light-years Distance 83 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,823 km/s, redshift 0.00609 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 5001 to 5500
