Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4492
NGC 4492 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 55.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 55.8 million light-years (17.11 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 36,300 light-years · 0.42 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.20 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.97 |
| Luminosity | 0.21 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 30m 59.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +8° 04′ 40″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.97. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 82° 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 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 989.9 billion years.