Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4031
NGC 4031 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 366.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 366.2 million light-years (112.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 93,000 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.30 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 00m 31.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +31° 56′ 51″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 58° S. North of latitude 58° 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 366 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 6,496.9 billion years.