Galaxy · Barred spiral
NGC 4747
NGC 4747 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Coma Berenices, 55.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Barred spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Distance | 55.4 million light-years (17.00 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 75,600 light-years · 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −17.97 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.18 |
| Luminosity | 0.067 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 51m 46.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +25° 46′ 38″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.18. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 64° S. North of latitude 64° 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 55 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 983.6 billion years.