Messier 60

Messier 60

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Discovered by the German astronomer Johann Gottfried Keohler in 1779, M60 is located in the constellation Virgo roughly 54 million light-years from Earth. It has an apparent magnitude of 9.8, and its central region can be seen through a small telescope most easily during May. A larger telescope can reveal NGC 4647 as well.

The Virgo cluster is a collection of more than 1,300 galaxies, including the elliptical galaxy M60. Unlike spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies lack an organized structure and are nearly featureless, resembling the core of a spiral galaxy. The Virgo cluster’s third brightest member, M60 has a diameter of 120,000 light-years and is as massive as one trillion suns. At its center lies a huge black hole, 4.5 billion times as massive as the sun — one of the most massive black holes ever found.

Information from NASA:

According to NASA "The Virgo cluster is a collection of more than 1,300 galaxies, including the elliptical galaxy M60. Unlike spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies lack an organized structure and are nearly featureless, resembling the core of a spiral galaxy. The Virgo cluster’s third brightest member, M60 has a diameter of 120,000 light-years and is as massive as one trillion suns. At its center lies a huge black hole, 4.5 billion times as massive as the sun — one of the most massive black holes ever found".

Credits: Image courtesy of Stellarium

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