Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4605
NGC 4605 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 17.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 17.8 million light-years (5.47 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 31,200 light-years · 0.36 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.99 |
| Luminosity | 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 40m 00.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 36′ 29″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.99. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 28° S. North of latitude 28° 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 18 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 316.5 billion years.