Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Coma Berenices (Com)  ·  Contains:  IC 3442  ·  IC 3453  ·  IC 3476  ·  IC 3478  ·  M 88  ·  NGC 4501  ·  NGC 4516
Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices, Steven Hanaway
Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices
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Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices

Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices, Steven Hanaway
Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices

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Good afternoon everyone! Today's image is Messier 88, a spiral galaxy that can be found in the constellation Coma Berenices about 50 million light years from Earth. This galaxy is a member of the Virgo galaxy cluster, and because of its motion, is undergoing ram-pressure stripping, causing it to lose gas in the outer regions of its spiral arms. This galaxy is classified as a seyfert class 2 galaxy, which means it has an active galactic nuclei (super massive black hole) that is currently accreting or "consuming" matter. The super massive black hole at the center of this galaxy is approximately 80 million times the mass of our sun! I hope you like today's image, be sure to check back tomorrow for a new one! Clear skies!

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Messier 88, A Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices, Steven Hanaway