Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4559
NGC 4559 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 26.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 26.4 million light-years (8.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 82,800 light-years · 0.95 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.14 |
| Luminosity | 0.63 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 35m 57.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +27° 57′ 35″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.14. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 62° S. North of latitude 62° 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 26 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 468.6 billion years.