Messier 84

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This article is about the galaxy M84. For the Yugoslav tank, see M-84.
Messier 84

M84. Credit:NOAO.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Virgo
Right ascension 12h 25m 03.7s[1]
Declination +12° 53′ 13″[1]
Redshift 1060 ± 6 km/s[1]
Distance 60 ± 3 Mly (18.4 ± 0.9 Mpc)[2]
Type E1[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 6′.5 × 5′.6[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.1[1]
Notable features -
Other designations
NGC 4374,[1] UGC 7494,[1] PGC 40455,[1] VCC 763[1]
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

Messier 84 (also known as M84 or NGC 4374) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. M84 is situated in the heavily populated inner core of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.[3]

Radio observations and images of the Hubble Space Telescope of M84 have revealed two jets of matter shooting out from the galaxy's center as well as a disk of rapidly rotating gas and stars close to the nucleus indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole of 18 ×108 M☉[4] in the galaxy's nucleus.

Contents

[edit] History

Charles Messier discovered Messier 84 on 18 March 1781 in a systematic search for "nebulous objects" in the night sky[5]. The object is the 84th in the Messier Catalogue.

[edit] Supernovae

Two supernovae have been observed in M84: SN 1957[6] and SN 1991bg.[7] Possibly, a third, SN 1980I is part of M84 or, alternatively, one of its neighboring galaxies, NGC 4387 and M86.[8]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Results for NGC 4374. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
  2. ^ J. L. Tonry, A. Dressler, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Ajhar, A. B. Fletcher, G. A. Luppino, M. R. Metzger, C. B. Moore (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal 546 (2): 681-693. doi:10.1086/318301. 
  3. ^ Finoguenov, A.; Jones, C. (2002). "Chandra Observation of Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Elliptical Galaxy M84". The Astrophysical Journal 574 (2): 754-761. doi:10.1086/340997. 
  4. ^ Ly, C.; Walker, R. C.; Wrobel, J. M. (2004). "An Attempt to Probe the Radio Jet Collimation Regions in NGC 4278, NGC 4374 (M84), and NGC 6166". The Astronomical Journal 127 (1): 119-124. doi:10.1086/379855. 
  5. ^ K. G. Jones (1991). Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37079-5. 
  6. ^ Götz, W. (1958). "Supernova in NGC 4374 (= M 84)". Astronomische Nachrichten 284: 141. 
  7. ^ Kosai, H.; Kushida, R.; Kato, T.; Filippenko, A.; Newberg, H. (1958). "Supernova 1991bg in NGC 4374". IAU Circ. 5400: 1. 
  8. ^ Smith, H. A. (July 1981). "The spectrum of the intergalactic supernova 1980I". Astronomical Journal 86: 998-1002. 
v • d • e
Virgo constellation
Stars Virgo symbol
Galaxy cluster
Messier 49 · 58 · 59 · 60 · 61 · 84 · 86 · 87 · 89 · 90