Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4242
NGC 4242 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 25.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 25.8 million light-years (7.90 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 41,200 light-years · 0.47 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.60 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.89 |
| Luminosity | 0.12 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 17m 30.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +45° 37′ 10″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 44° S. North of latitude 44° 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 26 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 457.1 billion years.