Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4080
NGC 4080 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 48.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 48.9 million light-years (15.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,400 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.78 |
| Luminosity | 0.076 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 04m 51.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +26° 59′ 33″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.78. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 63° S. North of latitude 63° 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 49 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 867.9 billion years.