Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4226
NGC 4226 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 338.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 338.3 million light-years (103.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 138,900 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.08 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.00 |
| Luminosity | 3 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 16m 26.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +47° 01′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.00. 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 338 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 6,001.6 billion years.