Galaxy · Spiral
NGC 4945
NGC 4945 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 12.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 12.4 million light-years (3.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 112,100 light-years · 1.3 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.80 |
| Luminosity | 1.2 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 05m 26.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −49° 28′ 16″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.80); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 41° N. South of latitude 41° 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 12 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 219.9 billion years.