Galaxy
Swelling Spiral Galaxy
Spiral galaxy · M61 · NGC 4303
Spiral galaxy in Virgo
Photo: Credit: ESO · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 61 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It was first discovered by Barnaba Oriani on May 5, 1779, six days before Charles Messier discovered the same galaxy. Messier had observed it on the same night as Oriani but had mistaken it for a comet. Its distance has been estimated to be 45.61 million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a member of the M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~50.2–54.8 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+9.7
Apparent size
6.5′ × 5.8′
Best seen with
Telescope
Catalogue
M61 · NGC 4303
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 61 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 4303.
- Found in the constellation Virgo.
- Needs a telescope to see clearly.
