Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Virgo (Vir)  ·  Contains:  IC 2554  ·  M 49  ·  NGC 4464  ·  NGC 4465  ·  NGC 4466  ·  NGC 4467  ·  NGC 4469  ·  NGC 4470  ·  NGC 4471  ·  NGC 4472  ·  NGC 4488  ·  NGC 4492
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M49, Kirby Collins
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M49

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M49, Kirby Collins
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M49

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Description

The elliptical galaxy M49 in the constellation Virgo was discovered by Messier in 1771.  Like most ellipticals, M49 exhibits little structure, and was described by Smyth as simply "bright, round, and well-defined."

Part of the Virgo Cluster, M49 is about 60 million light years away, and is one of the largest ellipticals in the cluster, with a mass 5 times that of our Milky Way.  X-ray data indicate there is a supermassive black hole at its center, with an estimated mass 565 million times the mass of our sun.

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M49, Kirby Collins