Description:
Messier Object 88 (M88).
In the 18th century, Charles Messier described the 88th object (M88) in his catalog of nebulae and star clusters (the Messier Catalog) as a spiral nebula without any stars. Of course, it is now recognized that the magnificent M88 is actually a galaxy rich in stars, gas, and dust, distinct from our own Milky Way. In fact, M88 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, located about 50 million light-years away from Earth. M88’s beautiful spiral arms are easily identified in this colorful photograph, extending from a yellowish core dominated by primarily older stars. These arms are filled with young blue star clusters, pinkish “star-forming regions,” and obscure dust lanes. M88 spans over 100,000 light-years!
NASA Website:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100130.html
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