Galaxy · Lenticular
NGC 4946
NGC 4946 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 143.5 million light-years away.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 143.5 million light-years (43.99 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 86,400 light-years · 0.99 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.26 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 11.96 |
| Luminosity | 1.4 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 05m 29.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −43° 35′ 28″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 11.96. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 46° N. South of latitude 46° 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 143 million years ago. At that time dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2,545.2 billion years.