Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4208
NGC 4208 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 56.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 56.0 million light-years (17.18 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 45,900 light-years · 0.53 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.91 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.27 |
| Luminosity | 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 39.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 54′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.27. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° 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 56 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 994.0 billion years.