Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4157
NGC 4157 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 36.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 36.1 million light-years (11.06 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,500 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.26 |
| Luminosity | 0.42 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 11m 04.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 29′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.26. 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 36 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 639.9 billion years.