Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4100
NGC 4100 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 50.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 50.0 million light-years (15.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 70,100 light-years · 0.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.93 |
| Luminosity | 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 06m 08.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +49° 34′ 56″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.93. 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 50 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 887.5 billion years.