Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4262
NGC 4262 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 54.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 54.9 million light-years (16.82 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 33,700 light-years · 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.69 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.44 |
| Luminosity | 0.33 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 19m 30.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 52′ 40″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.44. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 75° S. North of latitude 75° 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 55 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 973.2 billion years.