Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4342
NGC 4342 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 53.3 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 53.3 million light-years (16.34 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 22,600 light-years · 0.26 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.95 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 23m 39.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +7° 03′ 14″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 83° 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 53 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 945.4 billion years.