Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4597
NGC 4597 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 32.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 32.9 million light-years (10.10 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 52,900 light-years · 0.61 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.62 |
| Luminosity | 0.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 40m 12.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 47′ 57″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.62. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 84° 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 33 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 584.4 billion years.