Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4048
NGC 4048 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 224.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 224.3 million light-years (68.77 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,900 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.16 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.03 |
| Luminosity | 0.51 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 02m 50.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +18° 00′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.03. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 72° S. North of latitude 72° 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 224 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 3,978.9 billion years.