Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4638
NGC 4638 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 58.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 58.2 million light-years (17.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 45,900 light-years · 0.52 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.96 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.30 |
| Luminosity | 0.42 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 42m 47.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +11° 26′ 33″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 79° S. North of latitude 79° 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 58 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 1,031.6 billion years.