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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Virgo Cluster Galaxies
Explanation: Pictured are several galaxies of the Virgo Cluster, the closest cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way . The Virgo Cluster spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon . It contains over 100 galaxies of many types - including spirals , ellipticals , and irregular galaxies . The Virgo Cluster is so massive that it is noticeably pulling our Galaxy toward it. The above picture includes two galaxies that are also Messier objects: M84 and M86. M84 is the bright elliptical galaxy just above the center of the photograph, and M86 is the bright elliptical galaxy to its right.
| Date | November 13, 1995 |
|---|---|
| Credit |
Credit: Photograph made from plates taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope. Color photography by David Malin. Copyright: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |