Galaxy
Messier 58
Barred spiral galaxy · M58 · NGC 4579
Barred spiral galaxy in Virgo
Photo: Credit Line and Copyright Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 58 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a weak inner ring structure located within the constellation Virgo, approximately 68 million light-years away from Earth. It was discovered by Charles Messier on April 15, 1779 and is one of four barred spiral galaxies that appear in Messier's catalogue. M58 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. From 1779 it was arguably the farthest known astronomical object until the release of the New General Catalogue in the 1880s and even more so the publishing of redshift values in the 1920s.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~63 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+9.7
Apparent size
5.9′ × 4.7′
Best seen with
Telescope
Catalogue
M58 · NGC 4579
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 58 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 4579.
- Found in the constellation Virgo.
- Needs a telescope to see clearly.
