Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4596
NGC 4596 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 49.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 49.4 million light-years (15.15 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 71,600 light-years · 0.82 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.35 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.55 |
| Luminosity | 0.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 39m 55.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +10° 10′ 34″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.55. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 80° S. North of latitude 80° 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 49 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 876.5 billion years.