Messier 89 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo around 50 million light-years from Earth and is part of the Virgo Cluster or galaxies. T
Messier 89 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo around 50 million light-years from Earth and is part of the Virgo Cluster or galaxies. The apparently spherical nature of Messier 89 is thought to be a trick of perspective caused by its orientation relative to the Earth. One structure of gas and dust extends up to 150 000 light-years out from the galaxy's centre, which is known to house a supermassive black hole. Jets of heated particles reach out to 100 000 light-years from the galaxy, suggesting that Messier 89 may have once been far more active perhaps an active quasar or radio galaxy than it is now. Charles Messier, the 18th century French astronomer, catalogued over 100 galaxies and clusters. Through the telescopes available at the time, comets, nebulae, globular clusters and galaxies appeared just as faint, diffuse blobs. This image was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Size: 3500px × 2626px
Photo credit: © NASA, ESA, STScI, and M. Franx (Universiteit Leiden) and S. Faber (University of California, Santa Cruz)/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, charles, cluster, deep, elliptical, galaxy, hubble, m89, messier, object, objects, sky, space, stars, telescope, virgo
