Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4236
NGC 4236 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 14.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 14.5 million light-years (4.45 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 89,400 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.04 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 16m 43.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +69° 27′ 56″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.04. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 21° S. North of latitude 21° 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 15 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 257.5 billion years.