Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4068
NGC 4068 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 14.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 14.1 million light-years (4.31 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 12,000 light-years · 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.47 |
| Luminosity | 0.0083 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 04m 02.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 35′ 19″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.47. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 37° S. North of latitude 37° 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 14 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 249.4 billion years.