Messier 61, also known as M61 or NGC 4303, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo and a member of the Virgo Cluster, discovered by the Italian astronomer Barnaba Oriani in 1779, with Charles Messier independently observing it just days later and briefly mistaking it for a comet. It lies roughly 52 to 55 million light-years from Earth and has one of the higher rates of observed supernovae of any known galaxy, with several recorded within it since the nineteenth century.
Facts
Classification
Constellation Discovery Year In the Other Atlases
In Constellation
Also in Divinity Atlas: the constellation this subject lies in.
Sources
1. Wikidata: Messier 61
- Wikidata Q13978, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- wikidata-q13978 Wikidata claim (w-bbfill-edspace5-0927)
View the Source2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
Messier 61 (Wikipedia)
Messier 61, Wikipedia - lead section, catalogue classification
Messier 61 (also known as M61, NGC 4303, or the Swelling Spiral Galaxy) is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
- In Group: Spiral Galaxies, infobox 'type' field: SAB(rs)bc (NED classification, de Vaucouleurs system) filed under Spiral Galaxies
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