Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4442
NGC 4442 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 58.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 58.5 million light-years (17.94 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 101,400 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.88 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.39 |
| Luminosity | 0.98 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 28m 03.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 48′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.39. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° 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 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 1,038.0 billion years.