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Credit & Copyright: Princeton University Press
Explanation:
M61 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the nearby
Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. Visible in
M61
are a host of features common to spiral
galaxies: bright
spiral arms, a
central bar,
dust lanes, and
bright knots of stars.
M61, also known as
NGC 4303, in similar to our own
Milky Way Galaxy.
M61 was discovered by telescope in 1779 twice on the same day,
but one observer initially mistook the galaxy for a comet.
Light from
M61 takes about 60 million years to reach us.
Recent observations of M61 have detected
unpredicted high velocity gas moving in its halo.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 61 - NGC 4303 - spiral galaxy
Publications with words: M 61 - NGC 4303 - spiral galaxy
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 4 B NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
- APOD: 2025 August 22 B A Tale of Two Nebulae
- APOD: 2025 August 19 B Giant Galaxies in Pavo
- APOD: 2025 August 18 B NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 July 4 B NGC 6946 and NGC 6939
- APOD: 2025 June 30 B NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 June 24 B In the Center of Spiral Galaxy M61