Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4866
NGC 4866 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 53.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 53.5 million light-years (16.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,000 light-years · 0.98 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.07 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.00 |
| Luminosity | 0.47 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 59m 27.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +14° 10′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.00. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 76° S. North of latitude 76° 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 53 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 948.9 billion years.