Galaxy · Spiral
UGC 4879
UGC 4879 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 4.44 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 4.44 million light-years (1.36 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 4,175 light-years · 0.048 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −12.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.17 |
| Luminosity | 4.4 × 10⁻⁴ × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 16m 02.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +52° 50′ 24″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.17. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 37° S. North of latitude 37° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in February, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 4.4 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 78.7 billion years.