Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Coma Berenices (Com)  ·  Contains:  Coma Pinwheel  ·  M 99  ·  NGC 4254  ·  Virgo Cluster Pinwheel
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Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel, Roger Menard
Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel
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Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel

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Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel, Roger Menard
Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel

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Description

M99 is one of the brighter spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and appears almost face-on.
  Messier 99 is a grand design spiral, completely unbarred and with two giant spiral arms. One of the spiral arms is normal and the other appears distorted. 
It is slightly asymmetric in shape, with the nucleus shifted from the galaxy’s center, likely as a result of interactions with other galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. 

   Messier 99 was one of the first spiral galaxies in which a spiral pattern was recognized. The spiral pattern was first observed by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, in the spring of 1846.
    M99 was the second object Lord Rosse recognized as a spiral, after the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), which he had discovered about a year before M99.

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Messier 99 (M99) NGC 4254 St Catherine's Wheel, Roger Menard