Galaxy
Messier 91
Barred spiral galaxy · M91 · NGC 4548
Barred spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices
Photo: Credit Line and Copyright Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona · CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 91 is a barred spiral galaxy that is found in the south of Coma Berenices. It is in the local supercluster and is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is about 63 million light-years away from the Milky Way. It was the last of a group of eight "nebulae" – the term 'galaxy' only coming into use for these objects once it was realized in the 20th century that they were extragalactic – discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. It is the faintest object in the Messier catalog, with an apparent magnitude of 10.2.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~47–79 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+10.2
Apparent size
5.4′ × 4.3′
Best seen with
Telescope
Catalogue
M91 · NGC 4548
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 91 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 4548.
- Found in the constellation Coma Berenices.
- Needs a telescope to see clearly.
