Messier 59
| Messier 59 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 42m 02.3s |
| Declination | +11° 38′ 49″ |
| Redshift | 410 ± 6 km/s |
| Distance | 60 ± 5 Mly (18.3 ± 1.7 Mpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.6 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | E5 |
| Apparent size (V) | 5′.4 × 3′.7 |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 4621,UGC 7858, PGC 42628,GC 3155. | |
Messier 59, also known as M59 or NGC 4621, is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster.
Messier 59 and the nearby elliptical galaxy Messier 60 were both discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779 during observations of a comet in the same part of the sky.Charles Messier listed both in the Messier Catalogue about three days after Koehler's discovery.
One supernova (1939B) has been recorded in M59; it reached a peak magnitude of 11.9.
Messier 59's core contains a supermassive black hole, with a mass that has been estimated to be 270 million times the mass of the Sun, and counter-rotates with respect of the rest of the galaxy, being bluer. This galaxy also has an inner disk of stars and is very rich in globular clusters, with a population of them that has been estimated in around 2200. It has a satellite, the Ultra Compact Dwarf galaxy M59-UCD3.
Coordinates: 
12h 42m 02.3s, +11° 38′ 49″
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