Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4222
NGC 4222 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 50.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 50.3 million light-years (15.42 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 29,400 light-years · 0.34 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.72 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.22 |
| Luminosity | 0.053 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 16m 22.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 18′ 25″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.22. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 50 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 892.2 billion years.