File:Messier_49-Rubin_Observatory.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Messier 49 is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Virgo, roughly 56 million light-years from Earth. It's notable as one of the first galaxies ever discovered beyond the Milky Way and remains one of the brightest elliptical galaxies we can observe from Earth.
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Wikidata facts
- Distance from Earth
- 16.8
- Radius
- 80000
- Image
- Messier 49-Rubin Observatory.png
Show 10 more facts
- Commons category
- Messier 49
- catalog code
- GB6 B1227+0816
- declination
- 8.0004111
- Commons gallery
- Messier 49
- time of discovery or invention
- 1771-02-19
- apparent magnitude
- 8.835
- galaxy morphological type
- E-E/S0
- redshift
- 0.00317
- right ascension
- 187.4449917
- radial velocity
- 949
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Article
Messier 49 (also known as M49 or NGC 4472) is a giant elliptical galaxy about 56 million light-years away in the equatorial constellation of Virgo. This galaxy was discovered by astronomer Charles Messier in 1777.
As an elliptical galaxy, Messier 49 has the physical form of a radio galaxy, but it only has the radio emission of a normal galaxy. From the detected radio emission, the core region has roughly 10 erg (10 J or 10 YJ) of synchrotron energy. The nucleus of this galaxy is emitting X-rays, suggesting the likely presence of a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 5.65 × 10 solar masses, or 565 million times the mass of the Sun (M☉). X-ray emissions shows a structure to the north of Messier 49 that resembles a bow shock. To the southwest of the core, the luminous outline of the galaxy can be traced out to a distance of 260 kpc.