Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4197
NGC 4197 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 57.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 57.0 million light-years (17.49 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 43,200 light-years · 0.49 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.09 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.075 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 14m 38.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 48′ 21″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 84° 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 57 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 1,011.9 billion years.