Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4636
NGC 4636 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 43.7 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 43.7 million light-years (13.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 110,400 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.02 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.62 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 42m 49.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +2° 41′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.62. 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 44 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 775.3 billion years.