Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Virgo (Vir)  ·  Contains:  M 61  ·  NGC 4292  ·  NGC 4301  ·  NGC 4303
M61, Warren A. Keller
M61
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M61, Warren A. Keller
M61
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Description

M61/NGC 4303 in Virgo is one of the largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, a massive group containing more than 1,300 members. With a diameter of 100,000 light years, this face-on island universe lies at a distance of 52,000,000 light years from Earth. M61 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Classified as a starburst galaxy, M61 is undergoing an extremely high rate of star forming activity. The X-ray activity detected in its nucleus leads astronomers to suspect the existence of a supermassive black hole there. This galaxy has also been host to 7 observed supernovas, the most of any galaxy in the Messier catalog! Though 'Comet Ferret' Charles Messier was the first  to observe the galaxy, he mistook it for a comet, leaving Italian astronomer Barnaba Oriani to receive the credit as M61's discoverer in May of 1779.  This data was acquired in 2018 at SSRO.

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M61, Warren A. Keller