Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4485
NGC 4485 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 18.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 18.9 million light-years (5.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 13,000 light-years · 0.15 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.52 |
| Luminosity | 0.036 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 30m 31.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 42′ 00″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.52. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° 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 19 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 335.6 billion years.