M60   Galaxy, AlBroxton

M60 Galaxy

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Description

Messier 60 (also known as NGC 4649) is an elliptical galaxy approximately 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Messier 60 and the nearby galaxy Messier 59 were both discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779 during observations of a comet in the same part of the sky. Charles Messier listed both in the Messier Catalogue about three days after Koehler's discovery. It is the eastern most galaxy in the cluster. This galaxy is believed to be around 120,000 light-years in diameter. It is located about 60 million light-years from Earth. M60 is one of the brighter members of the Virgo cluster. It can be found with binoculars, but is not a very impressive sight. Telescopes will reveal the galaxies bright central core. As with most ellipticals, it will only be visible as a fuzzy blob. NGC 4627 is 59.7 million LY’s. away.

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M60   Galaxy, AlBroxton

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Allen Broxton