Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4494
NGC 4494 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 62.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 62.6 million light-years (19.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 113,300 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.23 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.19 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 31m 24.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 46′ 30″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 64° S. North of latitude 64° 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 63 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 1,110.9 billion years.