Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Virgo (Vir)  ·  Contains:  M 61  ·  NGC 4292  ·  NGC 4301  ·  NGC 4303
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M61, Massimo Di Fusco
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M61

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M61, Massimo Di Fusco
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M61

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Description

M61 (also known as NGC 4303) is a large intermediate spiral galaxy located in the Virgo cluster and visible in the homonymous constellation . It is 60 million light years away from us and with its diameter of about 100000 light years (similar to that of the Milky Way) it is one of the largest members of the Virgo cluster.
A peculiarity of this galaxy is the structure of its arms: they show several sudden changes of direction that give M61 an almost polygonal appearance. Its mass has been estimated to be at least 50 billion solar masses and its apparent magnitude is 9,7.

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