Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4085
NGC 4085 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 34.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 34.8 million light-years (10.66 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 32,600 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.12 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.02 |
| Luminosity | 0.077 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 05m 22.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 21′ 10″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.02. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 40° S. North of latitude 40° 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 35 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 616.8 billion years.