Messier Objects

Messier 90

Messier 90

Messier 90 (M90) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster. Messier 90 is one of the largest and brightest spirals in the Virgo Cluster. The…


Messier 89

Messier 89 (M89) is an elliptical galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Virgo. Not as bright as some of the other galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, M89 is hard to see in…


Messier 88

Messier 88

Messier 88 is a spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy’s core contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of…


Messier 87

Messier 87

Messier 87 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy with about 1 trillion stars in the constellation Virgo. The elliptical galaxy Messier 87 is the home of several trillion stars, a supermassive black hole and a family…


Messier 86

Messier 86

Messier 86 is an elliptical or lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It has the highest blueshift of all Messier objects.    DescriptionVisible From Pacific NorthwestDecember To MayBest Time To ObserveMayMinimum Size Of Viewing DeviceSmall TelescopeObject TypeElliptical Or Lenticular GalaxyDesignationsMessier 86, M86,…


Messier 85

Messier 85

Messier 85 is a lenticular or elliptical galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, in the constellation Coma Berenices. Messier 85 is interacting with two neighboring galaxies: the spiral galaxy NGC 4394 and the…


Messier 84

Messier 84

DescriptionVisible From Pacific NorthwestDecember To MayBest Time To ObserveMarch and AprilMinimum Size Of Viewing DeviceSmall TelescopesObject TypeElliptical or Lenticular GalaxyDesignationsMessier 84, M84, NGC 4374, PGC 40455, VCC 763, UGC 7494, ASB 33, 3C 272.1, 4C…


Messier 83 Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Messier 83 Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Messier 83 or M83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy and NGC 5236, is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation borders of Hydra and Centaurus. DescriptionVisible From Pacific…


Messier 82 Cigar Galaxy

Messier 82 Cigar Galaxy

Messier 82, or the Cigar galaxy, shines brightly at infrared wavelengths and is remarkable for its star formation activity. The Cigar galaxy experiences gravitational interactions with its galactic neighbor, M81, causing it to have an…


Messier 81

Messier 81 Bode’s Galaxy

Messier 81, also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. Discovered by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774, M81 is one of the brightest…