NGC 5023
Encyclopedia
NGC 5023 is an edge-on spiral galaxy
located in the constellation Canes Venatici
. It is considered a member of the M51 Group
although it is actually relatively isolated from other galaxies. It is approximately 15 kiloparsecs (49,000 light-year
s) across and contains more than 200 stars with an apparent magnitude
of greater than 23.5.
Spiral galaxy
A spiral galaxy is a certain kind of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, forms part of the Hubble sequence. Spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as...
located in the constellation Canes Venatici
Canes Venatici
Canes Venatici is one of the 88 official modern constellations. It is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for "hunting dogs", and the constellation is often depicted in illustrations as representing the dogs of Boötes the...
. It is considered a member of the M51 Group
M51 Group
The M51 Group is a group of galaxies located in Canes Venatici. The group is named after the brightest galaxy in the group, the Whirlpool Galaxy...
although it is actually relatively isolated from other galaxies. It is approximately 15 kiloparsecs (49,000 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s) across and contains more than 200 stars with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of greater than 23.5.