Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4058
NGC 4058 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 270.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 270.3 million light-years (82.86 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,700 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.64 |
| Luminosity | 2.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 03m 49.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 32′ 54″ |
| 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 Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 86° S. 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 270 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 4,794.1 billion years.