Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4388
NGC 4388 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 55.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 55.5 million light-years (17.01 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 102,300 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.26 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.89 |
| Luminosity | 0.55 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 25m 46.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 39′ 44″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.89. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 77° S. North of latitude 77° 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 984.2 billion years.