Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 4643
NGC 4643 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 62.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 62.2 million light-years (19.07 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 76,500 light-years · 0.87 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 10.30 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 43m 20.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +1° 58′ 42″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 10.30. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 88° 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 62 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 1,103.4 billion years.