Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4686
NGC 4686 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 233.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 233.8 million light-years (71.67 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 179,200 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.32 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.96 |
| Luminosity | 3.7 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 46m 39.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +54° 32′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.96. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 35° S. North of latitude 35° 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 234 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,146.7 billion years.