Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4281
NGC 4281 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 54.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 54.1 million light-years (16.58 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 55,900 light-years · 0.64 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.03 |
| Luminosity | 0.47 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 20m 21.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +5° 23′ 11″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.03. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 85° S. 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 54 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 959.3 billion years.