Messier 90 (M90)

Also Known as: NGC 4569, Arp 76

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy

Constellation: Virgo

Distance from Earth: 58.7 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 10.26

Coordinates: RA 12H 36M 49.8S DEC 13 deg 09 min 46 sec

Actual Size: 165,000 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 9.5 arc-minutes x 4.4 arc-minutes

Discovered by: Messier 90 was discovered by Charles Messier on March 18, 1781, along with the globular cluster Messier 92 in Hercules constellation and Virgo Cluster members Messier 84, Messier 86, Virgo A (M87) and Messier 89 in Virgo constellation, and Messier 85, Messier 88 and Messier 91 in Coma Berenices.
Messier described M90 as a “nebula without star, in Virgo,” adding that “its light is as faint as the preceding, No. 89.”

Description: Several other Messier galaxies can be found in the same region of the sky.
The elliptical galaxy M89 lies 0.75 degrees southwest of M90, the barred spiral galaxy M91 is located about a degree north-northwest of M90, and the spiral galaxy M88 lies 1.5 degrees to the northwest of M90.
Messier 90 is one of the largest and brightest spirals in the Virgo Cluster. The galaxy has an absolute magnitude of -22, which makes it intrinsically brighter than Andromeda (M31).
Its tightly wound spiral arms do not show any signs of star formation, except in regions near the darker dust lanes in the inner part of the galaxy’s disk.
Messier 90 is a blueshifted galaxy, one moving in our direction, in contrast to most other galaxies, which are redshifted and moving away.
M90 is moving toward us at a velocity of up to 383 km/s. The only Messier galaxy approaching us at a higher velocity than M90 is M86, which may be moving at up to 419 km/s relative to us.
M90 is likely moving through the Virgo Cluster at an exceptionally high velocity, at almost 1,500 km/s. The galaxy may be in the process of escaping the cluster.
Messier 90 is believed to be interacting with a satellite galaxy, IC 3583, classified as an irregular galaxy.
M90 contains an estimated 1 trillion stars with an estimated 1,000 globular clusters.
Messier 90 has lost much of its interstellar medium as a result of interaction with the intracluster medium.
The galaxy is very poor in gas compared to other spirals because it is experiencing ram-pressure stripping as it moves through the Virgo Cluster.
The process is stripping the galaxy of interstellar dust and gas.
The star forming regions in M90 are considerably more truncated than those in similar galaxies outside the cluster. Some of the H II regions are even found outside the galactic plane.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

M90 can be seen in 10x50 binoculars under good conditions.
In small telescopes M90 appears as a bright oval shaped patch of light. An 8-inch scope reveals the galaxy’s bright core surrounded by a patch of nebulosity. The spiral structure can be seen with larger telescopes.

The best time of year to observe the galaxies in the Virgo Cluster is during the spring.

Platesolve

M90 Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Details
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