Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4461
NGC 4461 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 55.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 55.6 million light-years (17.05 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 60,500 light-years · 0.69 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.05 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.11 |
| Luminosity | 0.46 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 29m 03.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +13° 11′ 02″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.11. 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 56 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 986.5 billion years.