Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4517
NGC 4517 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 31.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 31.6 million light-years (9.70 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 104,200 light-years · 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.13 |
| Luminosity | 0.91 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 32m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +0° 06′ 54″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.13. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 90° N. 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 32 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 561.2 billion years.