Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4537
NGC 4537 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 555.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 555.0 million light-years (170.17 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 259,400 light-years · 3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.44 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.71 |
| Luminosity | 4.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 34m 48.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +50° 48′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.71. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° 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 555 million years ago. At that time the Earth held only single-celled organisms and the first multicellular life. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 9,845.7 billion years.