Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4656
NGC 4656 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 17.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 17.6 million light-years (5.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 62,000 light-years · 0.71 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.80 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.86 |
| Luminosity | 0.14 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 43m 57.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 10′ 13″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.86. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 58° S. North of latitude 58° 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 18 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 312.4 billion years.