Messier 89
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| M89 | |
 |
|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 35m 39.8s[1] |
| Declination | +12° 33′ 23″[1] |
| Redshift | 340 ± 4 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 50 ± 3 Mly (15.3 ± 1.0 Mpc)[2] |
| Type | E[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 5′.1 × 4′.7[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.7[1] |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 4552,[1] UGC 7760,[1] PGC 41968[1] | |
| See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies | |
Messier 89 (M89 for short, also known as NGC 4552) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier on March 18, 1781. M89 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.[3]
[edit] Unusual features
Current observations indicate that M89 may be nearly perfectly spherical in shape. This would be unusual as all other known elliptic galaxies are relatively elongated ellipsoids.[citation needed] However, it is possible that the galaxy is oriented in such a way that it appears spherical to an observer on Earth but is in fact elliptical.
The galaxy also features a surrounding structure of gas and dust extending up to 150,000 light-years from the galaxy and jets of heated particles that extend 100,000 light-years outwards, indications that it may have once been an active quasar or radio galaxy.[4]
M89 also has a large population of globular clusters as compared to the Milky Way's 150-200, a 2006 survey out to 10′ of its core estimates that there are 2,000 ± 700 globulars within 25′ of M89.[5]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Results for NGC 4552. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ 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:.
- ^ Elliptical Galaxy M89 @ SEDS Messier pages
- ^ Messier Objects 81-90 @ Sea and Sky
- ^ Tamura, Naoyuki; Sharples, Ray M.; Arimoto, Nobuo; Onodera, Masato; Ohta, Kouji; Yamada, Yoshihiko (2006). "A Subaru/Suprime-Cam wide-field survey of globular cluster populations around M87 - I. Observation, data analysis and luminosity function". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Online Early.
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