Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4215
NGC 4215 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 56.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 56.9 million light-years (17.44 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 38,200 light-years · 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.05 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.16 |
| Luminosity | 0.18 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 54.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +6° 24′ 04″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.16. 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 1,009.0 billion years.