Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4163
NGC 4163 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 9.59 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 9.59 million light-years (2.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 6,197 light-years · 0.071 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −14.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.94 |
| Luminosity | 0.0025 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 12m 08.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 10′ 10″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.94. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 54° S. North of latitude 54° 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 9.6 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 170.1 billion years.