Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4217
NGC 4217 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 47.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 47.8 million light-years (14.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 93,900 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.36 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.47 |
| Luminosity | 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 15m 50.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +47° 05′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.47. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 43° S. North of latitude 43° 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 48 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 848.8 billion years.