Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4648
NGC 4648 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Draco, 65.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 65.9 million light-years (20.20 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 34,800 light-years · 0.4 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −19.48 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.05 |
| Luminosity | 0.27 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 41m 44.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +74° 25′ 15″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.05. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 16° S. North of latitude 16° 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 66 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 1,168.7 billion years.