Galaxies - Virgo

Introduction | Galaxies (Messier) | Large-FOV Photos | Links

On this page I show photos of galaxies from the "larger region" Virgo, that is, mainly from the Virgo galaxy cluster, which I took with different cameras. Partially, I have had the photos evaluated and labeled by nova.astrometry.net, so that one can find the larger galaxies more easily.

Introduction

From April to June it is "galaxy time", and so I photograph and observe more galaxies during this time. With the eVscope, this means that because of the small field of view (about the size of the moon), I generally get only one galaxy on a photo; only in exceptional cases it can be more. Since acquiring the ZWO ASI294, however, I can take larger fields of view; on the PS 72/432 refractor, for example, I get a field of view of a good 2.5° x 1.7° - the largest I can achieve with my equipment. As a result, depending on the area of sky in which it was taken, a photograph may contain a large number of galaxies, most of which are very small. However, because of the large field of view, even the larger galaxies in the photos are quite small.

On this page I show galaxies, partly alone, partly together with a few others, and partly on overview photos, on which one can recognize the galaxies only with difficulty. Such photos I let evaluate and label by nova.astrometry.net, so that one finds the larger galaxies more easily.

This page is dedicated to the "larger region" Virgo, which includes mainly the Virgo Galaxy Cluster (only Messier galaxies shown):

Maps of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster typically extend down to M 49.

Maps: Messier galaxies in the area of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster

Messier Galaxies: M 49, M 58, M 59, M 60, M 61 (lower at the horizon), M 84, M85, M 86, M 87, M 88, M 89, M 90, M 91, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 104 (not in the maps); part of these galaxies belong to the constellation Coma Berenice, but are included in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

According to Wikipedia (German version) , there are about 30 galaxies in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster that are brighter than 10.5m; most of them have NGC designations (the M objects also have NGC designations...). The exact number of galaxies is probably in the thousands.... Many available lists show subsets, typically collected by size and distance from the center of the cluster. For example, the The Virgo Cluster Website labels and lists 160 galaxies and shows 600 galaxies within 7.5° of the center.

Galaxies (Messier)

Messier Galaxies: M 49, M 58, M 59, M 60, M 61, M 84, M85, M 86, M 87, M 88, M 89, M 90, M 91, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 104; part of these galaxies belong to the constellation Coma Berenice, but are included in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

The following photos were taken with the eVscope:


M 49 (with NGC 4470 at the bottom right)	M 58	M 59 (bottom right; M 60 with NGC 4647 to the left)

M 60 (left, with NGC 4647; M 59 at the bottom right)	M 61	M 84 (right, with M 86), Great Galactic Face

M 85 (with NGC 4394)	M 86 (left, with M 84), Great Galactic Face	M 87 (with NGC 4478 to the right)

M 88	M 89	M 90

M 91	M 99	M 100

M 104

Galaxies (NGC)

NGC Galaxies: NGC 4216/06/22, NGC 4387/88/4402, NGC 4435/38, NGC 4458/61, NGC 4470, NGC 4567/68, NGC 4631/27, NGC 4636, NGC 4638/37, NGC 4647, NGC 4665, NGC 4697, NGC 5426/27

The following photos were taken with the eVscope:


NGC 4216/06/22	NGC 4387/88/4402 (bottom/top left; near M 84/86)	NGC 4435/38 (The Eyes)

NGC 4458/61	NGC 4470	NGC 4567/68

NGC 4631/27 (Whale/Herring Galaxy)	NGC 4636 (with Supernova 2020ue)	NGC 4638/37 (right red dots, 37 left, 38 right; near M 60)

NGC 4647 (near M 60; bottom right: M 59)	NGC 4665	NGC 4697

NGC 5426/27 (Arp 271)

Large-FOV Photos

The following rich-field photos were taken with the ZWO ASI294 camera at the PS 72/432 refractor (field of view 2.5° x 1.7°; controlled by StellarMate; AZ-GTi mount). Details of the galaxies are hardly visible on the photos, but many other smaller galaxies are.

Note: It is quite instructive to display the large versions of a photo (photo and analysis with nova.astrometry.net) side by side in tabs in the Web browser. Then you can switch between the tabs and thus "turn on and off" the captions.

M 59, M 60


M 59/60 - April 28, 2022, processed		M 59/60 - April 28, 2022, processed, evaluated with nova.astrometry.net

Larger galaxies: M 59, M 60, NGC 4606/07, NGC 4637/38, NGC 4660

M 84, M 86 (Great Galactic Face)


M 84/86 - April 28, 2022, processed		M 84/86 - April 28, 2022, processed, evaluated with nova.astrometry.net

The galaxies M 84 and M 86 form together with the smaller galaxies NGC 4387 (nose) and NGC 4388 (mouth) the "Great Galactic Face". Close to M 86 there is the galaxy NGC 4402.

Larger galaxies: M 84, M 86, NGC 4305/06, NGC 4313, NGC 4351, NGC 4371, NGC 4387/88, NGC 4402, NGC 4407, NGC 4425, NGC 4435/38 (The Eyes), NGC 4431/36/40

M 87 (Center of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster)


M 87 - April 28, 2022, processed		M 87 - April 28, 2022, processed, evaluated with nova.astrometry.net

M 87, also called Virgo A, is at the center of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

Larger galaxies: M 87, NGC 4425, NGC 4435/38 (The Eyes), NGC 4431/36/40, NGC 4452, NGC 4458/61, NGC 4473, NGC 4476, NGC 4478, NGC 4479, NGC 4491, NGC 4497, NGC 4503, NGC 4506, NGC 4528

M 89, M 90, M 58


M 89/90/58 - April 28, 2022, processed		M 89/90/58 - April 28, 2022, processed, evaluated with nova.astrometry.net

M 89, M 90 and M 58 are not far away from M 87, that is, from the center of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

Larger galaxies: M 89, M 90, M 58, NGC 4506, NGC 4528, NGC 4531, NGC 4550/51, NGC 4564, NGC 4584

M 99, NGC 4298/4302


M 99 + NGC 4298/4302 - April 28, 2022, processed		M 99 + NGC 4298/4302 - April 28, 2022, processed, evaluated with nova.astrometry.net

M 99 is located in constellation Coma Berenices.

Larger galaxies: M 99, NGC 4222, NGC 4237, NGC 4262, NGC 4298, NGC 4302