Messier 58
Encyclopedia
Messier 58 is a barred spiral galaxy
located within the constellation
Virgo
, approximately 68 million light-year
s away from Earth
. It was discovered by Charles Messier
on April 15, 1779 and is one of four barred spiral galaxies that appear in Messier's catalogue. M58 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
. From 1779 it was arguably (though unknown at that time) the farthest known astronomical object until the release of the New General Catalogue
in the 1880s and even more so the publishing of redshift values in the 1920s.
Messier 59
and Messier 60
, on April 15, 1779. M58 was reported on the chart of the Comet of 1779 as it was almost on the same parallel as the star Epsilon Virginis
. Messier described M58 as a very faint nebula in Virgo which would disappear in the slightest amount of light he used to illuminate the micrometer
wires. This description was later contradicted by John Herschel’s
observations in 1833 where he described it as a very bright galaxy, especially towards the middle. Herschel’s observations were also similar to the descriptions of both John Dreyer and William Henry Smyth
who said that M58 was a bright galaxy, mottled, irregularly round and very much brighter toward the middle.
e have been studied in the M58 galaxy. A type II supernova
dubbed as SN 1988A was discovered by Kaoru Ikeya
on January 18, 1988. It had an apparent magnitude of 13.5 from its center. A Type I supernova
dubbed as SN 1989M was then found on June 28, 1989 by Kimeridze. This one had an apparent magnitude of 12.2 from its nucleus.
Barred spiral galaxy
A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in approximately two-thirds of all spiral galaxies...
located within the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Virgo
Virgo (constellation)
Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin, and its symbol is . Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second largest constellation in the sky...
, approximately 68 million light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It was discovered by Charles Messier
Charles Messier
Charles Messier was a French astronomer most notable for publishing an astronomical catalogue consisting of deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters that came to be known as the 110 "Messier objects"...
on April 15, 1779 and is one of four barred spiral galaxies that appear in Messier's catalogue. M58 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster
Virgo Cluster
The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3 Mly away in the constellation Virgo. Comprising approximately 1300 member galaxies, the cluster forms the heart of the larger Local Supercluster, of which the Local Group is an outlying member...
. From 1779 it was arguably (though unknown at that time) the farthest known astronomical object until the release of the New General Catalogue
New General Catalogue
The New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars is a well-known catalogue of deep sky objects in astronomy. It contains 7,840 objects, known as the NGC objects...
in the 1880s and even more so the publishing of redshift values in the 1920s.
Early observations
Charles Messier discovered Messier 58, along with the elliptical galaxiesElliptical galaxy
An elliptical galaxy is a galaxy having an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless brightness profile. They range in shape from nearly spherical to highly flat and in size from hundreds of millions to over one trillion stars...
Messier 59
Messier 59
Messier 59 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo.-History:Messier 59 and the nearby elliptical galaxy Messier 60 were both discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779 during observations of a comet in the same part of the sky...
and Messier 60
Messier 60
Messier 60 is an elliptical galaxy approximately 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.-History:...
, on April 15, 1779. M58 was reported on the chart of the Comet of 1779 as it was almost on the same parallel as the star Epsilon Virginis
Epsilon Virginis
Epsilon Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo. It has the traditional name Vindemiatrix, which comes from Greek through Latin and means Grape Gatherer....
. Messier described M58 as a very faint nebula in Virgo which would disappear in the slightest amount of light he used to illuminate the micrometer
Micrometer
A micrometer , sometimes known as a micrometer screw gauge, is a device incorporating a calibrated screw used widely for precise measurement of small distances in mechanical engineering and machining as well as most mechanical trades, along with other metrological instruments such as dial, vernier,...
wires. This description was later contradicted by John Herschel’s
John Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet KH, FRS ,was an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor, who in some years also did valuable botanical work...
observations in 1833 where he described it as a very bright galaxy, especially towards the middle. Herschel’s observations were also similar to the descriptions of both John Dreyer and William Henry Smyth
William Henry Smyth
William Henry Smyth was an English sailor, hydrographer, astronomer and numismatist.-Private Life:...
who said that M58 was a bright galaxy, mottled, irregularly round and very much brighter toward the middle.
Supernovae
Two supernovaSupernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
e have been studied in the M58 galaxy. A type II supernova
Type II supernova
A Type II supernova results from the rapid collapse and violent explosion of a massive star. A star must have at least 9 times, and no more than 40–50 times the mass of the Sun for this type of explosion. It is distinguished from other types of supernova by the presence of hydrogen in its spectrum...
dubbed as SN 1988A was discovered by Kaoru Ikeya
Kaoru Ikeya
is a Japanese amateur astronomer who discovered a number of comets.As a young adult, Ikeya lived near Lake Hamana and worked for a piano factory. During his employment there, he made his first discovery in 1963 with an optical telescope he built himself within his low budget...
on January 18, 1988. It had an apparent magnitude of 13.5 from its center. A Type I supernova
Type Ia supernova
A Type Ia supernova is a sub-category of supernovae, which in turn are a sub-category of cataclysmic variable stars, that results from the violent explosion of a white dwarf star. A white dwarf is the remnant of a star that has completed its normal life cycle and has ceased nuclear fusion...
dubbed as SN 1989M was then found on June 28, 1989 by Kimeridze. This one had an apparent magnitude of 12.2 from its nucleus.
See also
- Messier 91Messier 91Messier 91 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the Coma Berenices constellation and is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. M91 is about 63 million light-years away from the earth. It was the last of a group of eight nebulae discovered by Charles Messier in 1781...
- Messier 95Messier 95Messier 95 is a barred spiral galaxy about 38 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by Charles Messier four days later.-Nucleus:...
- Messier 109Messier 109Messier 109 is a barred spiral galaxy approximately away in the constellation Ursa Major. M109 can be seen southeast of the star Phecda .-History:Messier 109 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781...
- M100Messier 100Messier 100 is an example of a grand design spiral galaxy located within the southern part of constellation Coma Berenices. It is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo cluster, approximately 55 million light-years distant from Earth and has a diameter of 160,000 light years...
- NGC 4536