Markarian 501
Also known as Mrk 501
Markarian 501 is a BL Lac in the constellation Hercules, about 482.71 million light-years from Earth.
Nearby blazar, a bright source of very high-energy gamma rays
Facts
| Type | BL Lac (shape -4.9) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Position (J2000) | 16h 53m 52s, +39° 45′ |
| Distance | 482.71 million light-years (its light set off about 482.71 million years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 13.29 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 1.5′ × 1.1′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Redshift | z = 0.03412 |
| Studied in | 2,340 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Markarian 501 is highest in the sky at midnight in June. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 70° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 80°. To see it you need a large telescope or long-exposure photos.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Hercules
- Great Hercules Cluster (M13)
- Hercules A
- Hercules Cluster
- Hercules X-1
- Kornephoros
- M92 (NGC 6341)
- Rasalgethi
- Sarin
Everything in Hercules · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · Data sources & credits