Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4540
NGC 4540 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 54.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 54.4 million light-years (16.68 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 40,500 light-years · 0.46 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.98 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.13 |
| Luminosity | 0.17 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 34m 50.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 33′ 05″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.13. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 74° S. North of latitude 74° 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 54 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 965.1 billion years.