🔭 M88

Galaxy in Coma Berenices

M88 is a galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, with an apparent magnitude of about 9.6, roughly 47,500 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M88
Object type	Galaxy
Constellation	Coma Berenices
NGC / IC	NGC 4501
Apparent magnitude	9.6
Distance (approx.)	47,500 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 Coma Berenices: M53, M64, M85, M91, M98, M99, M100.

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