Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 4123
NGC 4123 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 61.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 61.8 million light-years (18.96 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 66,900 light-years · 0.77 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.69 |
| Luminosity | 0.33 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 08m 11.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 52′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 62 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 1,097.0 billion years.