#m61

[quiltofstars]

The Swelling Spiral Galaxy, M61 // DoubleStarPhotography

[17h51]

[rotorsexual]

Ukrainian F-16C shoots down a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone with its M61 Vulcan

[zespaceblog]

Random Messier - M61 Galaxy

52.5 Million light years from Earth in the constellation of Virgo, and part of the Virgo cluster, the galaxy is both active (containing a supermassive black hole consuming material) and starburst (having a very large amount of star formation.

The galaxy has an unusual amount of natural hydrogen, which has probably been drawn from the intergalactic area around it, which is responsible for the very high level of star formation.

At the centre of the galaxy there also appears to be a much older area of starburst activity. Such large star formation tends to produce a lot of blue giant stars, which live very short lives and end in black holes, these will have long died, but the remnant black holes will have merged at the centre causing the central black hole to increase faster than in other galaxies.

(M61 in IR)

[wonders-of-the-cosmos]

Messier 61 Close Up (apod)

[mystarypi-astronomy]

This is Oriani’s Galaxy! 🌌🌌🌌

In May of this year, scientists discovered a supernova in the galaxy. I took an image of Oriani’s Galaxy a few years ago so I made a gif to visualize the bright supernova! ✨✨✨

Fun fact: this galaxy was once thought to be a comet! 🌠🌠🌠

Taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Two telescope.

[spinningblueball]

Messier 61 [NGC 4303]

[cosmicvastness]

A portrait of a beauty

Nuzzled in the chest of the constellation Virgo (the Virgin) lies a beautiful cosmic gem — the galaxy Messier 61. This glittering spiral galaxy is aligned face-on towards Earth, thus presenting us with a breathtaking view of its structure. The gas and dust of the intricate spiral arms are studded with billions of stars. This galaxy is a bustling hub of activity with a rapid rate of star formation, and both a massive nuclear star cluster and a supermassive black hole buried at its heart. Messier 61 is one of the largest members of the Virgo Cluster, which is made up of more than a thousand galaxies, and is itself at the centre of the Virgo Supercluster — to which our Milky Way also belongs. This dazzling beauty was first discovered in 1779, and it has been capturing astronomers’ interest ever since. Set against a dark sky littered with galaxies, this image shows the awe-inspiring M61 in its full glory — even at its distance of over 50 million light-years. Credit: ESO