By: Messier objects gallery. M78-M88 | The Big Foto

Messier objects gallery. M78-M88 | The Big Foto — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:28:09 +0000

[...] Messier objects gallery. M67-M77 VN:F [1.1.7_509]please wait…Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast) 1 The nebula Messier 78 (also known as M 78 or NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects that same year. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula of a group of nebulae that include NGC 2064, NGC 2067 and NGC 2071. This group belongs to the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex and is about 1,600 light years distant from Earth. M78 is easily found in small telescopes as a hazy patch and involves two stars of 10th magnitude. These two stars, HD 38563A and HD 38563B, are responsible for making the cloud of dust in M78 visible by reflecting their light. Credit: T. A. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF # 2 Messier 79 (also known as M79 or NGC 1904) is a globular cluster in the Lepus constellation. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780. M79 is at a distance of about 41,000 light years away from Earth and 60,000 light years away from the Galactic Center. Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF # 3 Messier 80 (also known as M80 or NGC 6093) is a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. Credit: Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF # 4 Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode’s Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is one of the most striking examples of a grand design spiral galaxy, with near perfect arms spiraling into the very center. Because of its proximity to Earth, its large size, and its active galactic nucleus (which harbors a supermassive black hole) Messier 81 is a popular galaxy to study in professional astronomy research. The galaxy’s large size and relatively low apparent magnitude (lower magnitude implies higher brightness) also make it a popular target for amateur astronomy observations. Credit: HST/NASA/ESA # 5 Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034 or the Cigar Galaxy) is the prototype nearby starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The starburst galaxy is five times as bright as the whole Milky Way and one hundred times as bright as our galaxy’s center. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/CXC/UofA/ESA/AURA/JHU # 6 Messier 83 (also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83 or NGC 5236) is an intermediate spiral galaxy approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. It is one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in the sky, making it visible with binoculars. Six Supernovae (SN 1923A, SN 1945B, SN 1950B, SN 1957D, SN 1968L and SN 1983N) have been observed in M83. Pierre Mechain discovered M83 in 1752 at the Cape of Good Hope. Charles Messier added it to his catalogue of nebulous objects (now known as the Messier Catalogue) in March 1781. Credit: European Southern Observatory ESO # 7 Messier 84 (also known as M84 or NGC 4374) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. M84 is situated in the heavily populated inner core of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF # 8 Messier 85 (also known as M85 or NGC 4382) is a lenticular galaxy in the Coma Berenices constellation. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. Credit: NOAO/AURA/NSF # 9 Messier 86 (also known as M86 or NGC 4406) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M86 lies in the heart of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and forms a most conspicuous group with another giant, Lenticular Galaxy M84. It displays the highest blue shift of all Messier objects, as it is approaching the Milky Way at 244 km/s. This is thought to be due to its falling towards the center of the Virgo cluster, which brings it closer to us. Credit: David W. Hogg, Michael R. Blanton, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Collaboration # 10 Messier 87 (also known as M87, Virgo A or NGC 4486) is a giant elliptical galaxy. The galaxy is the largest and brightest galaxy within the northern Virgo Cluster, located about 55 million light years away. The monstrous elliptical galaxy M87 is the home of several trillion stars, a supermassive black hole, and family of 13,000 globular star clusters. M87 is the dominant galaxy at the centre of the neighbouring Virgo Cluster of galaxies, which contains some 2,000 galaxies. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) # 11 Messier 88 (also known as M88 or NGC 4501) is a spiral galaxy about 47 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy is a member of the Virgo Cluster. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. Credit: Jim Quinn/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF # SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Messier objects gallery. M78-M88″, url: “http://thebigfoto.com/messier-objects-gallery-m78-m88″ }); Post a comment | Trackback URI [...]

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By: Messier objects gallery. M78-M88 | The Big Foto