M59 - NGC 4621

Messier 59 (NGC 4621) is an elliptical galaxy located approximately 60 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo, making it a prominent member of the Virgo Cluster. It was discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779, and Charles Messier independently cataloged it the same month. M59 is classified as an E5 elliptical galaxy, meaning it shows moderate ellipticity. It is one of the larger elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, though it is overshadowed by its neighbor M60 which lies only about 25 arcminutes to the east. The galaxy spans approximately 90,000 light-years in diameter and has a visual magnitude of about 9.6. M59 is notable for having a counter-rotating stellar core: the stars in the central region orbit in the opposite direction from the majority of stars in the outer regions. This unusual kinematic feature suggests that M59 experienced a significant merger with another galaxy in its past, during which infalling material settled into a counter-rotating orbit in the core. The galaxy hosts approximately 2,200 globular clusters and contains a supermassive black hole at its center with an estimated mass of about 270 million solar masses. In amateur telescopes, M59 appears as a small, bright, oval patch of light. It lacks the dramatic visual appeal of spiral galaxies but provides an interesting contrast when viewed alongside the many spiral and elliptical galaxies populating this rich region of the Virgo Cluster. An 8-inch or larger telescope helps distinguish M59 from background stars and reveals its smooth, featureless glow characteristic of elliptical galaxies.

M59 spans approximately 90,000 light-years in diameter with a mass including a central supermassive black hole of 270 million solar masses, located 60 million light-years away.