Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4940
NGC 4940 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 237.0 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 237.0 million light-years (72.66 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 87,500 light-years · 1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.67 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.64 |
| Luminosity | 2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 05m 00.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −47° 14′ 13″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.64. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 43° N. South of latitude 43° 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 237 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,204.0 billion years.