Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4700
NGC 4700 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 23.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 23.8 million light-years (7.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 27,700 light-years · 0.32 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.70 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.62 |
| Luminosity | 0.052 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 49m 07.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −11° 24′ 41″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.62. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 79° N. South of latitude 79° S it never sets. 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 24 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 422.4 billion years.