Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4138
NGC 4138 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 41.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 41.4 million light-years (12.69 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 35,000 light-years · 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.22 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 09m 29.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +43° 41′ 07″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 46° S. North of latitude 46° 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 41 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 734.2 billion years.