Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4503
NGC 4503 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 56.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 56.6 million light-years (17.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 62,400 light-years · 0.71 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.43 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.77 |
| Luminosity | 0.65 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 32m 06.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 10′ 35″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.77. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° 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 57 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 1,004.4 billion years.