Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4278
NGC 4278 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 30.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 30.2 million light-years (9.27 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 45,400 light-years · 0.52 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.49 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.35 |
| Luminosity | 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 20m 06.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 16′ 50″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.35. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 61° S. North of latitude 61° 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 30 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 536.3 billion years.