🔭 M87 — Virgo A

Galaxy in Virgo

M87, Virgo A is a galaxy in the constellation Virgo, with an apparent magnitude of about 8.6, roughly 53,500 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M87
Common name	Virgo A
Object type	Galaxy
Constellation	Virgo
NGC / IC	NGC 4486
Apparent magnitude	8.6
Distance (approx.)	53,500 thousand light-years

What a galaxy is

A vast, gravitationally-bound system of stars, gas and dust — from small irregular collections to giant spirals containing a trillion suns. Most Messier galaxies are island universes far beyond the Milky Way.

Other Messier objects in Virgo: M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M86, M89, M90, M104.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.