Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4455
NGC 4455 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 27.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 27.4 million light-years (8.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 25,000 light-years · 0.29 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.12 |
| Luminosity | 0.044 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 28m 44.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 49′ 21″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.12. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° 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 27 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 486.0 billion years.