Messier 88 (M88)

Also Known as: NGC 4501

Object Type: Spiral Galaxy

Constellation: Coma Berenices

Distance from Earth: 50 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 10.4

Coordinates: RA 12H 31M 59.2S DEC 14deg 25min 14sec

Actual Size: 105,000 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 6.9 arc-minutes x 3.7 arc-minutes

Discovered by: Messier 88 is one of Charles Messier’s original discoveries.
The comet hunter found and catalogued the object on March 18, 1781, along with the globular cluster Messier 92 in Hercules and seven other members of the Virgo Cluster in the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices: Messier 84, Messier 85, Messier 86, Messier 87 (Virgo A), Messier 89, Messier 90 and Messier 91.
This is what Messier wrote about his 88th entry: Nebula without star, in Virgo, between two small stars & one star of the sixth magnitude, which appear at the same time as the nebula in the field of the telescope. Its luminosity is one of the faintest, & resembles the one reported in Virgo, No. 58 [Messier 58].

Description: Messier 88 has a very regular spiral arm structure and is classified as type Sbc spiral galaxy, which means that its spiral arms are between medium-wound (Sb) and loosely-wound (Sc).
M88 is also classified as a type II Seyfert galaxy because it exhibits narrow spectral line emissions from highly ionized gas in its core. Other Seyfert galaxies in the Messier catalogue include the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Messier 66, Cetus A (M77), Virgo A (M87) and Messier 106.
M88 has an unusually high central gas concentration for a non-barred Seyfert galaxy.
The galaxy’s core contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 107.9 solar masses. The nucleus rotates more quickly than the Milky Way’s, at 241 km/s. The estimated mass of M88 is 250 billion solar masses.
Messier 88 is one of the 15 Messier galaxies that belong to the Virgo Cluster. It is suspected to have a highly elliptical orbit, one taking it toward the cluster’s core and the giant elliptical galaxy Virgo A (M87).
M88 will come closest to the center of the cluster in about 200 to 300 million years. It is currently between 0.3 and 0.48 million parsecs from it.
As a result of their motion through the densely populated Virgo Cluster, M88 and many other cluster members are experiencing ram pressure stripping, a process that strips a galaxy’s outer region of neutral hydrogen. M88 is receding from us at a very high velocity, 2,281 km/s.
M88 has about 400 billion stars and is inclined at an angle of about 30 degrees to our line of sight and is a popular object for small telescopes. M88’s inclination makes it appear like a smaller version of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).
Messier 88 was one of the first objects to be identified as a spiral galaxy. Lord Rosse listed it as one of his 14 “spiral nebulae” discovered to 1850. Other Messier objects listed by Rosse were the spiral galaxy Messier 63 (Sunflower Galaxy), the barred spirals Messier 58 and Cetus A (M77), the intermediate spiral Messier 96, and the grand design spirals Messier 74 (Phantom Galaxy) and Messier 100.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

Messier 88 is bright enough to be visible in 10×50 binoculars under good conditions.
Small telescopes will reveal an elongated, nebulous patch of light with a brighter center, while medium-sized equipment will show a well-defined, bright core.
The galaxy is best observed in larger instruments, which reveal some of the details of its structure.
The best time of year to observe M88 and the nearby galaxies is during the spring.

Platesolve

M88 Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Details
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