Messier 49

Messier 49 is a giant elliptical galaxy. This is also known as M29 and NGC 4472. This Galaxy is in the constellation Virgo. This galaxy was discovered by Charles Messier in 1777. 

This galaxy has many globular clusters: estimated to be about 5,900. This is far more than the roughly 200 orbiting the Milky Way, but dwarfed by the 13,450 orbiting the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. On average, the globular clusters of M49 are about 10 billion years old. Between 2000 and 2009, strong evidence for a stellar mass black hole was discovered in one. A second candidate was announced in 2011.

Messier 49 was the first member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies to be discovered. It is the most luminous member of that cluster and more luminous than any galaxy closer to the Earth. This galaxy forms part of the smaller Virgo B subcluster 4.5° away from the dynamic center of the Virgo Cluster, centered on Messier 87. Messier 49 is gravitationally interacting with the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 7636. The dwarf shows a trail of debris spanning roughly 1 × 5 arcminutes, which corresponds to a physical dimension of 6 × 30 kpc.

In the center of the M49 there is a supermassive black hole  and the estimated mass of this black hole is roughly 565 million times of our Sun

M49 Table:

The radius of Messier 49 is 80.004 light years with a magnitude of 8.4. The age of Messier 49 is 13.25 billion years. This object was 55.9 million light years far away from the earth located in the constellation Virgo. This has more than 20,000 millions of stars located in. 

This object was best observed in the month of May.

Previous Object: Messier 48/\ Next Object: Messier 50

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