Virgo Galaxy
M 87
Scientific overview
Virgo Galaxy is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It shines at apparent magnitude 9 and spans about 7.11 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD and redshift from NED · M 87
| Distance | 5.3881e+7 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 111,438 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 104,541 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | 0.004283 ± 1.7000e-5 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | 1,256 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 187.705931 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 12.391123 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2016AJ....152...50T · catalogued value · source value 16.52 Mpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (minor axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Redshift (z): NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database · NED · ObjectLookup · Redshift · 2011MNRAS.413..813C · catalogued value · NED quality UUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2009ApJS..182..543A · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020A&A...644A.159C · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020A&A...644A.159C · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). Redshift is the object's measured redshift — a negative value is a blueshift (the galaxy is approaching, its motion dominated by local rather than cosmic expansion). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Virgo
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 49M 49 · NGC 4472 | Elliptical galaxy | 8.28 | 10.21 |
| Sombrero GalaxyM 104 · NGC 4594 | Spiral galaxy | 8.59 | 8.45 |
| M 60M 60 · NGC 4649 | Elliptical galaxy | 8.79 | 6.78 |
| M 86M 86 · NGC 4406 | Elliptical galaxy | 8.86 | 11.53 |
| NGC 4697C 52 · NGC 4697 | Elliptical galaxy | 9.37 | 7.14 |
| NGC 4365NGC 4365 | Elliptical galaxy | 9.43 | 5.12 |
| NGC 4699NGC 4699 | Barred spiral galaxy | 9.53 | 3.99 |
| M 90M 90 · NGC 4569 | Spiral galaxy | 9.54 | 9.12 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.