Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4701
NGC 4701 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 33.6 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 33.6 million light-years (10.30 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 16,200 light-years · 0.19 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.41 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.65 |
| Luminosity | 0.04 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 49m 11.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +3° 23′ 19″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.65. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 87° S. 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 34 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 595.9 billion years.