Messier 91

Messier 91 is one of the faintest objects in Messier’s catalog.

Distance

60 million light-years

Apparent Magnitude

11.0

constellation

Coma Berenices

object type

Spiral Galaxy

This image of M91 combines ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. It was taken by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 as part of an effort to explore the connections between young stars and cold gas in a variety of nearby galaxies.

NASA, ESA, and J. Lee (California Institute of Technology); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

The spiral galaxy M91 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. It was the last of the nine objects (M84–M92) that Messier added to his catalog on a single night in March. Located 60 million light-years from Earth with an apparent magnitude of only 11, M91 is one of the faintest objects in Messier’s catalog. In a dark sky, the galaxy can be spotted with medium-sized telescopes in the constellation Coma Berenices most easily during May.

This image is composed of Hubble observations taken in visible and infrared light by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. It captures a small portion of M91, highlighting the galaxy’s lack of red-colored star-forming regions. These regions of molecular hydrogen are common in other spiral galaxies.

NASA, ESA, and STScI

M91 is one of over a thousand galaxies that make up the Virgo cluster — a group of galaxies that are gravitationally bound to one another. It is an anemic galaxy, meaning that it has a lower rate of star formation compared to other spiral galaxies.

For more information about Hubble’s observations of M91, see:

Astronomers Track Down Asteroids in Hubble Archive

This star chart for M91 represents the view from mid-northern latitudes for the given month and time.

Image courtesy of Stellarium

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