M91
The spiral galaxy M91 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. It was the last of the nine objects (M84–M92) that Messier added to his catalog on a single night in March. Located 60 million light-years from Earth with an apparent magnitude of only 11, M91 is one of the faintest objects in Messier’s catalog. In a dark sky, the galaxy can be spotted with medium-sized telescopes in the constellation Coma Berenices most easily during May.
M91 is one of over a thousand galaxies that make up the Virgo cluster — a group of galaxies that are gravitationally bound to one another. It is an anemic galaxy, meaning that it has a lower rate of star formation compared to other spiral galaxies.
This image of M91 combines ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. It was taken by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 as part of an effort to explore the connections between young stars and cold gas in a variety of nearby galaxies.
For more information about Hubble’s observations of M91, see: hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/1998/news-1998-10.html
For Hubble's Messier catalog website and information on how to find these objects in the night sky, visit: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lee (California Institute of Technology); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
M91
The spiral galaxy M91 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. It was the last of the nine objects (M84–M92) that Messier added to his catalog on a single night in March. Located 60 million light-years from Earth with an apparent magnitude of only 11, M91 is one of the faintest objects in Messier’s catalog. In a dark sky, the galaxy can be spotted with medium-sized telescopes in the constellation Coma Berenices most easily during May.
M91 is one of over a thousand galaxies that make up the Virgo cluster — a group of galaxies that are gravitationally bound to one another. It is an anemic galaxy, meaning that it has a lower rate of star formation compared to other spiral galaxies.
This image of M91 combines ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. It was taken by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 as part of an effort to explore the connections between young stars and cold gas in a variety of nearby galaxies.
For more information about Hubble’s observations of M91, see: hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/1998/news-1998-10.html
For Hubble's Messier catalog website and information on how to find these objects in the night sky, visit: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog
Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lee (California Institute of Technology); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)