Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4451
NGC 4451 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 58.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 58.1 million light-years (17.81 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 26,800 light-years · 0.31 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.17 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.08 |
| Luminosity | 0.081 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 28m 40.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +9° 15′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.08. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 81° 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 58 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 1,030.5 billion years.