Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4214
NGC 4214 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 | 23,900 light-years · 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.54 |
| Luminosity | 0.058 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 38.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +36° 19′ 39″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.54. 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.