Messier 49 (M49)

Also Known as: NGC 4472, Arp 134

Object Type: : Elliptical Galaxy

Constellation: Virgo

Distance from Earth: 55.9 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 9.4

Coordinates: RA 12H 29M 46.7S DEC 08deg 00min 02sec

Actual Size: 156,000 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 10.2 arc-minutes x 8.3 arc-minutes

Discovered by: Messier 49 was discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771.

Description: Messier 49 is one of the many members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
Messier 49 was the first member of the Virgo Cluster to be discovered and is the brightest galaxy in this group.
The Virgo Cluster is a large cluster of galaxies centered about 54 million light years from Earth. About 156,000 light years across in size, M49 is one of the cluster’s giant elliptical galaxies.
It is larger both than the Milky Way (100,000 light years) and the Andromeda Galaxy (140,000 light years).
The galaxy contains at least 200 billion stars.
It is receding from us at an approximate velocity of 981 km/s. Messier 49 was only the second galaxy discovered outside the Local Group, after Messier 83.
M49 is also more luminous than any of the galaxies lying closer to Earth.
The nucleus of this galaxy is emitting X-rays, suggesting the likely presence of a supermassive black hole. X-ray emissions shows a structure to the north of Messier 49 that resembles a bow shock.
Being an elliptical galaxy, M49 has the physical form of a radio galaxy, an active galaxy that is very luminous at radio wavelengths, but the galaxy’s actual radio emissions are in fact similar to those of a normal galaxy.
This galaxy has many globular clusters: estimated to be about 5,900. This is far more than the roughly 200 orbiting the Milky Way, but dwarfed by the 13,450 orbiting the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87.
On average, the globular clusters of M49 are about 10 billion years old.
It is the most luminous member of that cluster and more luminous than any galaxy closer to the Earth.
This galaxy forms part of the smaller Virgo B subcluster 4.5° away from the dynamic center of the Virgo Cluster, centered on Messier 87.
Messier 49 is gravitationally interacting with the dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 7636. Messier 49 does not show any evidence of recent star formation.
The galaxy appears very yellow, which means that the stars in it are mostly older and redder than the Sun.
This suggests that the last episode of star formation in M49 took place about 6 billion years ago.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

In good conditions, M49 appears as a hazy patch of light in large 15×70 binoculars, while 4-inch telescopes reveal the galaxy’s bright core. 8-inch and larger telescopes show both its bright center and large halo. However, the galaxy appears mostly featureless and does not get resolved even in larger instruments.

The best time to view M49 is March, April, and May.

Platesolve

M49 Elliptical Galaxy

Imaging Details
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