Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4006
NGC 4006 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 272.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 272.6 million light-years (83.57 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 134,000 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.97 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.64 |
| Luminosity | 2.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 11h 58m 05.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −2° 07′ 12″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.64. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 88° N. 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 273 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,835.2 billion years.