Planetary Nebulae in and around Messier 87

Location of the planetary nebulae in the outskirts of the giant galaxy Messier 87 and in the intergalactic space around the centre of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. By measuring the motions of these objects very precisely, using the highly efficient FLAMES spectrograph on the ESO Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile), astronomers have probed the edge of Messier 87 for the first time, and found it to be about three times as large as our own Milky Way.

Credit:

ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2

About the Image

Id:eso0919b
Type:Collage
Release date:20 May 2009
Related releases:eso0919
Size:1752 x 1520 px

About the Object

Name:Messier 87, Virgo Cluster
Type:Local Universe : Nebula : Type : Planetary
Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Elliptical
Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Giant
Local Universe : Galaxy : Grouping : Cluster
Distance:60 million light years
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Large JPEG
602.3 KB
Screensize JPEG
198.7 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
B
Digitized Sky Survey 2
Infrared
I
Digitized Sky Survey 2