M98 - NGC 4192

Messier 98 (NGC 4192) is a spiral galaxy located approximately 44 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. M98 is classified as an SAB(s)ab spiral galaxy and is seen at a high inclination of about 74 degrees from face-on, giving it a strongly elongated, nearly edge-on appearance. The galaxy spans approximately 160,000 light-years in diameter, making it one of the largest spirals in the Virgo Cluster. M98 has a visual magnitude of about 10.1, but its high inclination spreads its light over a long, narrow area, giving it relatively low surface brightness that makes it more challenging to observe than its magnitude might suggest. Like M86, M98 is blueshifted relative to the Milky Way, approaching us at about 125 kilometers per second due to its rapid motion through the Virgo Cluster. The galaxy has a complex dust structure visible in its disk, with intricate dark lanes threading along the major axis. M98 contains both old and young stellar populations, with active star formation occurring in the disk, particularly along the spiral arms. The nucleus shows LINER-type activity. One supernova has been observed in M98: SN 1999cl, a Type Ia event discovered in 1999. The galaxy has a relatively large hydrogen gas reservoir, though some asymmetry in the gas distribution suggests the beginning of ram pressure effects from the Virgo intracluster medium. In amateur telescopes, M98 appears as a faint, elongated streak of light with a slightly brighter center. An 8-inch telescope under dark skies reveals the extent of the galaxy and hints of the dust lanes along its major axis.

M98 spans approximately 160,000 light-years in diameter, seen at 74-degree inclination, and lies about 44 million light-years from Earth in the Virgo Cluster.