Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4631
NGC 4631 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 24.1 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 24.1 million light-years (7.38 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 109,900 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.90 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.44 |
| Luminosity | 1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 42m 08.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 32′ 29″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.44); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 57° S. North of latitude 57° 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 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 427.0 billion years.