Discovered in 1779 by Charles Messier, M58 was one of the first galaxies recognized to have a spiral shape and is one of four barred spiral galaxies in Messier's catalog. M58 is one of the brightest galaxies in the constellation Virgo. Located roughly 62 million light-years from Earth, M58 is the most distant Messier object.
Although it appears bright, M58's core is relatively dim compared to other spiral galaxies. The core contains high rates of star formation, known as starburst activity. It also houses a supermassive black hole around 70 million times the mass of our Sun. A very small ring around the galaxy's nucleus, known as an ultra-compact nuclear ring, is a main region of widespread starburst activity in M58 and is a rare phenomenon among galaxies.
Long arms extend out from the galaxy's bright nucleus. However, a lack of hydrogen means that there is very little star formation activity in the arms. This could be the result of gravitational interactions with the nearby galaxies of the Virgo cluster. Two supernovas have been detected in M58, one in 1988 and the other in 1989.
The best time to view M58 is in May. With a magnitude of 9.8, the galaxy is best observed with an 8-inch or larger telescope, but it can be seen with large binoculars on clear nights as well. Small telescopes will only reveal the galaxy's core.
This Hubble observation was taken in ultraviolet and visible light using the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The image's stair-step appearance results from the design of the camera. It shows about half of M58, with the galaxy's core and arms filling the image. Hubble took these observations of M58 to study the properties of its nucleus (classified as a LINER, or low-ionization nuclear emission-line region) and compare it with active galactic nuclei in the centers of other galaxies.
Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI and D. Maoz (Tel Aviv University/Wise Observatory)
Tags: M58 Messier 58 Virgo spiral galaxy Starburst Activity May Sky Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Charles Messier Messier Objects Messier Catalog Night Sky galaxy astronomy NASA space
Located in the constellation Virgo, M86 is either an elliptical galaxy or a lenticular galaxy (a cross between an elliptical and spiral galaxy). This Hubble observation of M86 was taken in near-infrared and visible light using the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Featuring about half of the galaxy, it shows the bright central nucleus and surrounding regions of light. The image also reveals globular clusters in M86 (shown as points of light) and an edge-on galaxy (found to the lower left of M86's core).
M86 was discovered in 1781 by Charles Messier and is one of the brightest members of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. It contains approximately 3,800 globular clusters.
While the majority of the Virgo cluster is receding from the Milky Way, M86 is getting closer to our galaxy. This is because M86 is located on the far side of the Virgo cluster from us and is moving toward the center of the cluster. Of all the galaxies in Messier's catalog, M86 is moving the fastest in our direction but is still approximately 52 million light-years away from Earth.
The best time of the year to view M86 is during May. Having a magnitude of 9.2, M86 can be seen near fellow galaxies in the Virgo cluster with binoculars and small telescopes, with M84 often appearing alongside M86 in the field of view. Telescopes that are 8 inches or larger will reveal several other, fainter galaxies in the same field of view.
Hubble took these observations to help astronomers study the cores of early-type galaxies, which are often old elliptical or lenticular galaxies found toward the centers of galaxy clusters. By studying the cores of these galaxies, astronomers can determine their central structure and analyze both the history of the galaxy and the formation of its core.
Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, and S. Faber (University of California, Santa Cruz) and P. Côté (Dominion Astrophysical Observatory)
Tags: M86 Messier 86 Virgo Cluster Virgo May Sky Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Charles Messier Messier Objects Messier Catalog Night Sky galaxy elliptical galaxy lenticular galaxy astronomy NASA space
M82 or the Cigar galaxy, shines brightly at infrared wavelengths and is remarkable for its star formation activity. The Cigar galaxy experiences gravitational interactions with its galactic neighbor, M81, causing it to have an extraordinarily high rate of star formation — a starburst.
Around the galaxy’s center, young stars are being born 10 times faster than they are inside our entire Milky Way galaxy. Radiation and energetic particles from these newborn stars carve into the surrounding gas, and the resulting galactic wind compresses enough gas to make millions of more stars. The rapid rate of star formation in this galaxy eventually will be self-limiting. When star formation becomes too vigorous, it will consume or destroy the material needed to make more stars. The starburst will then subside, probably in a few tens of millions of years.
M82 was discovered, along with its neighbor M81, by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774. Located 12 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major, M82 has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and is best observed in April. Although it is visible as a patch of light with binoculars in the same field of view as M81, larger telescopes are needed in order to resolve the galaxy’s core.
This stunning Hubble image of M82 was assembled using observations at different wavelengths. The red in the image represents hydrogen and infrared light, indicating starburst activity. The blue and greenish-yellow color represent visible wavelengths of light.
For more information about Hubble’s observations of M82, see:
hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2006/news-2006-14.html
www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1201a/
hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2017/news-2017-42.html
hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2008/news-2008-02.html
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Acknowledgment: J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin), M. Mountain (STScI), and P. Puxley (National Science Foundation)
Tags: Messier Hubble Hubble Space Telescope night sky space NASA Cigar Galaxy April Sky M82 Messier 82 Ursa Major astronomy Johann Elert Bode NGC 3034 starburst galaxy galaxy irregular galaxy
A handful of bright stars are strewn across the cosmos like sparkling sequins on velvet in this Hubble image of a section of Messier 67, also known as NGC 2682, the King Cobra Cluster, and the Golden Eye Cluster.
M67 is a collection of over 500 stars that are loosely gravitationally bound, a grouping known as an open cluster. Open clusters like this are typically quite young, but M67 is one of the oldest known open clusters at approximately 4 billion years of age ― about the same as our Sun. In fact, the cluster contains about 100 stars that are similar to our Sun in composition and age, along with many red giant and white dwarf stars. It is also home to around 30 “blue stragglers” ― odd stars that are brighter and bluer than the population from which they formed, perhaps as the result of pulling material from a binary companion. M67 is the oldest open cluster in the Messier catalog.
M67 is also unusual in its location, nearly 1,500 light-years above the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Most open clusters are distributed along the central plane of the Milky Way.
M67 was first recorded by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Koehler in 1779, then rediscovered and identified as a collection of stars by Charles Messier a year later. It resides about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cancer.
To find M67, look for the upside-down Y in Cancer. M67 is west of the easternmost star in the Y. Alternately, go to the center of an imaginary line drawn between Regulus in Leo and Procyon in Canis Minor and look slightly north. M67 is visible in binoculars as a faint patch of light, and telescopes can resolve from a few up to 100 individual stars. Hubble’s image focuses in on just a small section of the cluster to show a detailed view of some of its colorful stars.
M67 is best viewed in the spring skies in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly March.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Krist (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
For more information, visit: science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night...
For Hubble's Messier catalog website and information on how to find these objects in the night sky, visit: science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night...
Find us on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
Tags: Messier Messier Object Messier Catalog NASA Hubble ESA Hubble Space Telescope telescope space telescope cosmos universe space cosmic astronomy stars star cluster open cluster
This Hubble Space Telescope image of M14 includes observations taken in ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths of light. Astronomers used this data to better understand the formation and chemical makeup of different populations of stars that reside within this cluster.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. D'Antona (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma); Image Processing: Gladys Kober
For more of Hubble's Messier Catalog, visit: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog
Tags: Messier Messier Object Messier Catalog NASA Hubble ESA Hubble Space Telescope telescope space telescope cosmos universe space cosmic astronomy M14 Messier 14 globular cluster star cluster stars Ophiuchus