Galaxy · Spiral
LV J1218+4655
LV J1218+4655 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 21.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 21.3 million light-years (6.54 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 5,479 light-years · 0.063 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 16.18 |
| Luminosity | 6.3 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 18m 11.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 55′ 01″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 16.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 21 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 378.4 billion years.