File:Messier_77_spiral_galaxy_by_HST.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Messier 77
Sign in to saveAlso known as M77, New General Catalogue 1068, Cetus A
spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus
Messier 77 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus, one of the large spiral galaxies visible from Earth. Astronomers study it to better understand the structure and behavior of galaxies like our own Milky Way.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Distance from Earth
- 10
- Radius
- 85000
- Image
- Messier 77 spiral galaxy by HST.jpg
Show 9 more facts
- Commons category
- Messier 77
- catalog code
- QSO B0240-002
- galaxy morphological type
- SAb
- redshift
- 0.003789
- time of discovery or invention
- 1780-10-29
- apparent magnitude
- 5.788
- radial velocity
- 1080
- right ascension
- 40.6698792
- declination
- -0.0132889
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Article
Messier 77 (M77), also known as NGC 1068 or the Squid Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus. It is about 47 million light-years (14 Mpc) away from Earth, and was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780, who originally described it as a nebula. Méchain then communicated his discovery to Charles Messier, who subsequently listed the object in his catalog. Both Messier and William Herschel described this galaxy as a star cluster. Today, however, the object is known to be a galaxy. It is one of the brightest Seyfert galaxies visible from Earth and has a D25 isophotal diameter of about 27.70 kiloparsecs (90,000 light-years).
Morphology