Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4429
NGC 4429 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 51.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 51.6 million light-years (15.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,100 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.12 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.87 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 27m 26.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 06′ 27″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.87. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° 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 52 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 914.7 billion years.