M88 spiral galaxy. Messier 88 (also known as M88 or NGC 4501) is a spiral galaxy about 50 to 60 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M88 is one of the fifteen Messier objects that belong to the nearby Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is galaxy number 1401 in the Virgo Cluster Catalogue (VCC) of 2096 galaxies that are candidate members of the cluster. This galaxy is inclined to the line of sight by 64 degrees. It is classified as an Sbc spiral, a status between Sb (medium-wound) and Sc (loosely wound) spiral arms. The spiralling arms are very regular and can be followed down to the galactic core. Captured on 04-01-2021. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Chumack, John |
Taille de l’image : | 9014 px × 5960 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |