Galaxy · Spiral
UGC 4998
UGC 4998 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, 26.9 million light-years away.
| Type | Spiral |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 26.9 million light-years (8.24 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 14,400 light-years · 0.16 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −15.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 14.08 |
| Luminosity | 0.0069 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 9h 25m 12.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +68° 22′ 59″ |
| Source | Updated Nearby Galaxy Catalog (Karachentsev et al. 2013) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 14.08. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 22° S. North of latitude 22° 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 27 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 476.7 billion years.