Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4044
NGC 4044 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 285.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 285.8 million light-years (87.63 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 110,600 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.71 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.00 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 02m 29.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | −0° 12′ 45″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.00. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 90° 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 286 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 5,070.1 billion years.