M60
Galaxy in Virgo
About
A giant elliptical galaxy in Virgo, about 57 million light-years away and ranked third in brightness among the giant ellipticals in the Virgo Cluster. Its central black hole weighs about 4.5 billion solar masses. Its disk overlaps the spiral NGC 4647, and the pair is catalogued as Arp 116.
Imaging tips
- About 7′ across, so it needs 3,460–5,770 mm on APS-C; a full-frame sensor cannot frame it usefully.
- NGC 4647 sits 2.6′ away in the same field. A 35′-wide frame also holds NGC 4637 and NGC 4638, which gives the group some context.
- One 2012 broadband frame under a nearly full Moon still gathered 6 h 47 min, with the luminance taking over half of the time.
- Another frame of the group, 1 h 18 min with a mono camera on a 37% Moon, already shows the neighbouring NGC 4637 and 4638 next to M60 in a 35′ field.
Facts
- Size
- 7′ × 6′
- Magnitude
- 8.8
- Coordinates
- RA 12h 43.7m, Dec +11° 33′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3460–5770 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Mar, Apr
- Peak altitude
- 52° from 50°N, 67° from 35°N
Nearby
- Arp116 · 2.6′ away