Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4074
NGC 4074 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 313.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 313.5 million light-years (96.13 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 90,000 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.46 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.45 |
| Luminosity | 1.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 04m 29.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +20° 18′ 58″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.45. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 70° S. North of latitude 70° 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 314 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 5,561.9 billion years.