Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4051
NGC 4051 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 32.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 32.6 million light-years (10.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 64,000 light-years · 0.73 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.56 |
| Luminosity | 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 03m 09.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +44° 31′ 53″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.56. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 45° S. North of latitude 45° 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 33 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 578.6 billion years.