Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4450
NGC 4450 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 49.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 49.7 million light-years (15.25 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 93,800 light-years · 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.94 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 28m 29.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +17° 05′ 06″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.94. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° 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 50 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 882.3 billion years.