M86 - Virgo Cluster:
M86 is The largest elliptical galaxy in this image of part of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. This image also features M84, the other large elliptical. NGC 4438 is the interesting galaxy towards the top colliding with smaller NGC 4435, the two making up "The Eyes".
Messier 86 (also known as
M86 or
NGC 4406) is an
elliptical or
lenticular galaxy in the constellation
Virgo. It was discovered by
Charles Messier in 1781. M86 lies in the heart of the
Virgo Cluster of galaxies and forms a most conspicuous group with another large galaxy known as
Messier 84. It displays the highest
blue shift of all Messier objects, as it is, net of its
other vectors of travel, approaching the
Milky Way at 244 km/s. This is due to both galaxies falling roughly towards the center of the Virgo cluster from opposing ends.Messier 86 is linked by several filaments of ionized gas to the severely disrupted
spiral galaxyNGC 4438, indicating that M86 may have stripped some gas and
interstellar dust from the spiral.
It is also suffering
ram-pressure stripping as it moves at high speed through Virgo's
intracluster medium, losing its
interstellar medium and leaving behind a very long trail of
X ray-emitting hot gas that has been detected with the help of the
Chandra space telescope.Messier 86 has a rich array of
globular clusters, with a total number of around 3,800.Its
halo also has a number of
stellar streams interpreted as remnants of
dwarf galaxies that have been disrupted and absorbed by this galaxy.
Comments