Messier 89, also cataloged as NGC 4552, is notable for its nearly perfect spherical appearance, which is rare among elliptical galaxies that are typically more elongated. It contains around 100 billion stars and over 2,000 globular clusters, and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. The galaxy is surrounded by faint shells, plumes, and tidal streams—remnants of past mergers—making it a fascinating target for deep astrophotography. Its bright core and extended outer envelope, along with its proximity to other Virgo Cluster galaxies, make M89 an attractive object for wide-field astrophotography projects.
Names and Catalog numbers
- Messier 89 (M89)
- NGC 4552
- UGC 7760
- PGC 41968
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
Messier 89 is positioned just south of the border between Virgo and Coma Berenices, about two degrees west of the star Rho Virginis. It lies only 0.75 degrees southwest of the spiral galaxy Messier 90 and about one degree northwest of the barred spiral Messier 58. The giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 is located roughly a degree west of M89, placing it in a dense region of the Virgo Cluster. This area is rich in galaxies, offering astrophotographers the opportunity to capture several Messier objects in a single wide-field image.
Nice to Know
- M89 appears almost perfectly spherical, a rare characteristic for elliptical galaxies, which are usually elongated.
- The galaxy is surrounded by a complex system of shells, plumes, and tidal tails, likely the result of past galactic mergers.
- At its core lies a supermassive black hole estimated to have a mass of about one billion times that of the Sun.
- M89 was the first galaxy discovered to have an extended envelope of light, stretching up to 150,000 light-years from its center.
Brightnes, distance and size
Messier 89 has an apparent magnitude of about 9.8, making it visible in medium-sized amateur telescopes as a faint, round glow. The galaxy is approximately 50 million light-years away and spans about 80,000 light-years in diameter. Its apparent size on the sky is roughly 5.1 by 4.7 arcminutes, and deep exposures in astrophotography can reveal its faint outer structures and the intricate details of its extended halo.