Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 4697
NGC 4697 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 57.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 57.8 million light-years (17.73 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 134,800 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.69 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 9.55 |
| Luminosity | 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 48m 35.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −5° 48′ 03″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 9.55. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 84° N. It stands highest at midnight in April, 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 1,025.8 billion years.