Galaxy · Irregular
NGC 4707
NGC 4707 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici, 18.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Distance | 18.9 million light-years (5.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 11,500 light-years · 0.13 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −16.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.72 |
| Luminosity | 0.012 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 48m 22.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +51° 09′ 53″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.72. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 39° S. North of latitude 39° N 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 19 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 335.6 billion years.