NGC 5520 is a spiral galaxy in Bootes, 125 million light-years away
NGC 5520 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Bootes , 125 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.7 and spans 1.6′ × 48″ of sky, about 58,700 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 5520 from Alkaid
Alkaid
NGC 5520
BOöTES
NGC 5520 lies 4.1° east of Alkaid , the magnitude 1.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 5520 is highest in the evening in June
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
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DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 87° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 79° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 64° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 0° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -39° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -48° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -63° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -0° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -79° 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 40°S, and never sets north of 40°N.
NGC 5520 is 125 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 5520 tonight left it about 125 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 5520
64 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5480, late spiral galaxy, 1.0° NGC 5602, early spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 5448, early spiral galaxy, 1.9° NGC 5660, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.9° NGC 5673, late spiral galaxy, 3.1° IC 1029, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.2° NGC 5676, late spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 5474, late spiral galaxy, 3.5°
NGC 5520 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Bootes Designations NGC 5520, 2MASX J14122277+5020543, IRAS 14105+5034, MCG +08-26-013, PGC 050728, UGC 09097 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 14h 12.4m Declination (J2000) +50° 21′ Magnitude 12.7 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.5 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.6′ × 48″ Position angle 66° True size 58,700 light-years Distance 125 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,865 km/s, redshift 0.00624 Best with Large telescope Best month June Catalog page NGC 5501 to 6000
