Messier 87 (Virgo A, NGC 4486) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy, at a distance of 53.5 million light-years from Earth. It occupies a place in the constellation Virgo, and in apparent magnitude reaches 9.59. The area is 7.2 x 6.8 angular minutes.
Galaxy Messier 87 is located in the northern part of the Virgo Cluster and is in second place in terms of brightness (inferior to Messier 49). It can be tracked in small and medium telescopes. Notice the jet coming out of the galaxy, you will need a better tool to observe it.
Galaxy data:
- Designations M87, NGC 4486, Virgo A
- Type Elliptical galaxy
- Right ascension 12h 30m 49,42338s
- Declination + 12° 23′ 28,0439″
- Distance from Earth 60 million light-years
- Visible dimensions (V) 7.2 ‘× 6.8’
- Located in Virgo constellation
- Radius 147 000 light-years
To find it, look closer to the border with Veronica’s Hair or halfway between Denebola (Leo) and Epsilon Virgo. In the east, you will notice M89, and at 1.5 degrees north-west – Messier 84 and Messier 86. Nearby galaxies NGC 4478, NGC 4486A and NGC 4486B are located. Favorable period for observation – spring.
M87 is one of the largest and brightest galaxies, as well as the largest in the constellation Virgo. It is 2.7 trillion times more solar in mass, and the absolute value reaches -22. In its vast territory are placed a trillion stars (constitute 1/6 of the total mass). By total mass can outrun our galaxy 200 times.
Large-scale elliptical-type galaxies are created after impacts of large ones, like the Milky Way. They are superior to other species in the Virgo Cluster and are constantly growing.
Now the galaxy is overlapped by IC 1101. This is the largest galaxy among the known. It is also included in the Virgo constellation, but in size it exceeds M87 3 times and has a large number of stars (4 times). A billion light-years away from us.
The deep exposure shows that M87 stretches more than 120,000 light years (spatial expansion is a million light years). The outer parts are deformed due to collisions with other galaxies.
It is noticeable that from the core of M87 comes a jet of energy plasma, which began its activity 4900 light years ago. It is represented by gaseous material released from the nucleus, moving at relativistic speed. A Hubble survey in 1999 showed that it reached 4-5 light speeds. In a cloud of gas, apparent superluminal movement is noticeable, which can only be an illusion.
There was only one person who managed to notice the jet visually before 1991, without using photographs. This was done by Otto Struve using the Mount Wilson 100-inch telescope. Today it is possible to repeat its achievement under favorable conditions and into a large telescope.
For the first time, a giant jet was recorded by Geber Curtis in 1918. He then said that he did not notice the spiral structure. The second jet was noticed by Halton Arp in 1966 and he added М 87 to the Atlas of Special Galaxies – Arp 152.
The Maiden’s Great Cluster is divided into three groups, concentrated on galaxies M87, Messier 49 and Messier 86. It is believed that a collision could occur between M 86 and M 84 in the past. This would explain why M 87 has a shortened halo. But another reason could be the invisible mass entering the galaxy from the cluster. Most likely, we are talking about dark matter.
The stars in the Virgo Cluster are distributed in a symmetrical sphere scheme, therefore the largest number is collected in the central region. There is also a supermassive black hole that is 3.5 billion times the solar mass. It is located 60 light years from the nucleus and rotates on an ionized gas disk moving with an acceleration of 1000 km / s. In diameter, the disc extends 0.39 light years.
A black hole acts as a source of radiation in several wavelengths. Radio waves are particularly pronounced. The analysis shows that the hole can be displaced from the galactic center by 25 parsecs in the opposite direction from the jet. Therefore, the jet could accelerate the hole, or it shifted in the process of galactic fusion.
M 87 in the constellation Virgo contains 12000 globular clusters (in our galaxy – 150-200). It is interesting that it was here that for the first time a cluster of a spherical type moving at superspeed was found – HVGC-1. It runs away from the galaxy. This proves that in the past two central supermassive black holes, created due to a galactic collision, lived in M87.
There are 100 ultra-compact dwarfs on the M87 territory. They resemble globular-type clusters, but extend in diameter for 33 light-years.
In 1947, they found a bright radio source, whose position coincided with the M87. In 1953, they determined that the objects are the same and offered a relativistic jet as a reason.
Also, the galaxy M 87 is a powerful source of X-ray production. These emissions have destroyed a lot of interstellar dust, leaving only 70,000 solar masses in the galaxy (108 million in the Milky Way).
Virgin X-1 was first noticed in April 1965. In addition, the galaxy is a strong source of gamma rays, observed since the 1990s. In 2006, we saw that the gamma radiation flux changes with a frequency of several days. It is believed that the cause is a supermassive black hole.
In February 1919, a supernova occurred, but it was noticed only in photographs in 1922. The peak value is 11.5, and the absolute value reaches -20.
In 1926, Edwin Hubble attributed M87 to elliptical nebulae. Then it was the first such object with allowed stars. In 1931, Hubble also added it to the Virgin Cluster. In 1956, the class changed to E0, and later – E0p, where the last character hints at the presence of the jet.
A review of the FLAMES spectrograph in June 2015 showed that in the past billions of years, M87 managed to absorb the average galaxy. Scientists calculated the movement of 300 planetary nebulae, and found traces of fusion. It turned out that some of them move towards us in a halo, while others run away. Most of the halo is twice as bright, and the stars are scattered throughout the region. It is believed that it was a star-forming helix.
On March 18, 1781 M87 was found by Charles Messier. That same night, he noticed M84, M85, M86, M88, M89, 90, M91 and M 92. He emphasized:
The starless nebula. It is located low and near the star of the 8th magnitude.
-Charles Messier
John Herschel signed it as h 1301 and added it to the General Catalog (GC 3035): “Very bright, large and much lighter towards the middle.”
Geber Curtis used a reflector to take a picture:
Excellent bright. The core is noticeably clearer, while the lighter part extends 0.5’ in diameter. I do not see the spiral structure. A direct ray is seen.
-Geber Curtis
Lately, in the framework of the international project Event Horizon Telescope, astronomers for the first time in the entire history of observations managed to get a snapshot of Messier 87 black hole:
Messier 87 – supergiant elliptical galaxy
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