Galaxy
The Needle Galaxy
Also NGC 4565 · Caldwell 38
A spiral galaxy seen almost perfectly edge-on, a thin streak of light crossed by a dark lane of dust.
Measured
- Distance
- 43.8 million light-years
- Size
- about 176,000 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Coma Berenices
- Position (J2000)
- RA 12h 36m 21s, Dec +25.99°
How far, from the Sun
43.8 million light-years. To cross it:
- Light43.8 million years
- Voyager 1's speed778 billion years
- Driving at 100 km/h473 trillion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- It is one of the most famous edge-on galaxies in the sky.
- It is moving away from us at about 1,280 km/s (NASA/IPAC NED).
Where this comes from
- Cosmicflows-3, Tully, Courtois & Sorce 2016, AJ 152, 50 (13.43 Mpc)
- This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
- This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.