M84 is a prominent member of the Virgo Cluster and is known for its bright nucleus and smooth outer halo. The galaxy features two warped dust lanes perpendicular to jets emanating from its central supermassive black hole, which has a mass of approximately 1.5 billion solar masses. It appears as an oval-shaped patch of light with a bright core when observed through small telescopes, making it a rewarding target for astrophotographers. M84 is part of Markarian’s Chain, a visually striking curved line of galaxies that adds to its appeal in wide-field astrophotography.
Names and Catalog numbers
- Messier 84
- NGC 4374
- PGC 40455
- UGC 7494
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
M84 resides in the Virgo Cluster, near the border of the constellation Coma Berenices. It is located about halfway along the line connecting Denebola in Leo to Vindemiatrix in Virgo. M84 appears close to M86, just 17 arcminutes to the east, and both galaxies can be seen in the same field of view with binoculars or small telescopes. The region surrounding M84 is rich with other notable galaxies, including M87, NGC 4435, NGC 4388, and NGC 4402, making this area ideal for deep-sky imaging.
Nice to Know
- M84 contains a supermassive black hole with jets of matter visible in radio observations.
- The galaxy’s stars are predominantly old, dating back nearly 12 billion years.
- M84 is visually part of Markarian’s Chain but does not share the same motion as other galaxies in the chain.
- Its smooth halo is dotted with globular clusters, adding texture to astrophotographic images.
Brightness, distance and size
M84 has an apparent magnitude of +10.1 and spans about 6.5 × 5.6 arcminutes in the sky. Its actual size is approximately 110,000 light-years across, making it one of the larger elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. Located around 60 million light-years away from Earth, its bright core and smooth outer regions make it an excellent target for medium-sized telescopes under dark skies.
