Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4438
NGC 4438 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 58.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 58.7 million light-years (17.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 96,800 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.12 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.16 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 27m 45.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 00′ 31″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.16. 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 59 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 1,040.9 billion years.