Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4490
NGC 4490 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 | 34,400 light-years · 0.39 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.82 |
| Luminosity | 0.44 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 30m 36.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 38′ 37″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.82); binoculars will find it. 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.