Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4251
NGC 4251 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 49.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 49.9 million light-years (15.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 51,000 light-years · 0.58 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.82 |
| Luminosity | 0.48 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 18m 08.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +28° 10′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.82. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 885.2 billion years.