Messier 61 (also known as M61 or
NGC 4303) is an
intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the
Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It was first discovered by
Barnaba Oriani
Barnaba Oriani FRS FRSE (17 July 1752 – 12 November 1832) was an Italian priest, geodesist, astronomer and scientist.
Life
Oriani was born in Garegnano (now part of Milan), the son of a mason, and died in Milan.
After getting his elemen ...
on May 5, 1779, six days before
Charles Messier discovered the same galaxy. Messier had observed it on the same night as Oriani but had mistaken it for a comet.
Its distance has been estimated to be 45.61 million light years from the
Milky Way Galaxy. It is a member of the
M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the
Virgo II Groups
The Virgo II Groups, also known as the Virgo II Cloud, Virgo Southern Extension, or the Virgo S Cloud, are a series of at least 100 galactic clusters and individual galaxies stretching approximately off the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster ...
, a series of galaxies and
galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the
Virgo Supercluster.
Properties
M61 is one of the largest members of Virgo Cluster, and belongs to a smaller subgroup known as the ''S Cloud''.
The
morphological classification of SAB(rs)bc
indicates a weakly-barred spiral (SAB) with the suggestion of a ring structure (rs) and moderate to loosely wound spiral arms.
[
] It has an
active galactic nucleus[
] and is classified as a
starburst galaxy containing a
massive nuclear star cluster
A nuclear star cluster (NSC) or compact stellar nucleus (sometimes called young stellar nucleus) is a star cluster with high density and high luminosity near the center of mass of most galaxies.
NSCs are the central massive objects of fainter ...
with an estimated mass of 10
5 solar mass
The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...
es and an age of 4 million years,
as well as a central candidate
supermassive black hole weighing around solar masses.
It cohabits with an older massive star cluster as well as a likely older starburst.
[ Evidence of significant star formation and active bright ]nebula
A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...
e appears across M61's disk.[
] Unlike most late-type spiral galaxies within the Virgo Cluster, M61 shows an unusual abundance of neutral hydrogen
The hydrogen line, 21 centimeter line, or H I line is the electromagnetic radiation spectral line that is created by a change in the energy state of neutral hydrogen atoms. This electromagnetic radiation has a precise frequency of , w ...
(H I).[
]
Extragalactic supernovae
Eight extragalactic supernova
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...
e have so far been observed in M61, making it one of the most prodigious galaxies for such cataclysmic events.[
][
]
Gallery
File:Messier61 - ESO - Potw1901a.tif, Spiral galaxy Messier 61 is aligned face-on towards Earth.
See also
* List of Messier objects
References
External links
messier.seds.org/m/m061.html
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messier 61
Intermediate spiral galaxies
Messier 061
Messier 061
061 61 may refer to:
* 61 (number)
* one of the years 61 BC, AD 61, 1961, 2061
* In some countries, a slang name for the Cyrillic letter Ы
* '' 61*'', a 2001 American sports drama film
* "Sixty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Mountain ...
Messier 061
07420
40001
17790505