Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4600
NGC 4600 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 24.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 24.0 million light-years (7.35 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,400 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.40 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.93 |
| Luminosity | 0.016 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 40m 23.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 07′ 04″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.93. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 24 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 425.3 billion years.