Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4144
NGC 4144 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 23.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 23.6 million light-years (7.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 40,400 light-years · 0.46 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.00 |
| Luminosity | 0.091 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 09m 59.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +46° 27′ 26″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.00. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 24 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 418.9 billion years.