Latest Virgo Supercluster Stories
[ Video 1 ] | [ Video 2 ] Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Astronomers have now accurately measured the distance to our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Scientists have struggled with trying to find an accurate distance to the LMC, which is one of the nearest galaxies to the Milky Way. However, a team of astronomers used observations of a rare class of double star, known as eclipsing binaries, to determine that LMC lies 163,000 light-years...
[Watch Video 1] [Watch Video 2] Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), an irregular galaxy that shares some features with spiral galaxies, is known for its array of star-forming regions. One of those regions, LHA 120-N 11 (N11), captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, offers proof that the LMC is producing noticeable signs that stellar nurseries within are still hard at work. The LMC is in an ideal position for astronomers to study...
Astronomers have reported that the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy appears to have cannibalistic tendencies as it has expanded by "digesting" stars from other nearby galaxies.Writing in the journal Nature, an international team of astronomers made the discovery using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and its MegaCam/MegaPrime digital camera to conduct an ongoing survey.Experts have previously considered the concept of a cannibalistic galaxy, but the new study is the first to bring detailed...
Latest Virgo Supercluster Reference Libraries
The Virgo Cluster consists of galaxies at a distance of around 59 Mly away in the constellation Virgo. Containing between 1300 to 2000 galaxies the Virgo Cluster is the heart of the Local Supercluster. Its mass is estimated at 1.2 × 1015 M☉ out to 8 degrees of the cluster's center or a radius of about 2.2 Mpc. Most of the brighter galaxies in the cluster were discovered by Charles Messier in the late 1770's and early 1780's, including the giant elliptical Messier 87. Messier...
The NGC 5866, located in the Draco constellation, is named after the galaxy with the highest magnitude however some catalogs list NGC 5907 as the brightest member. The M51 Group and the M101 Group are NGC 5866 closest neighbor. The distances between these groups are similar which suggest the three groups are part of a single large, loose, elongated group. However, most identification methods consider them separate.
The M101 Group, one of many in the Virgo Supercluster, is located in Ursa Major and named after the brightest galaxy in the group, the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). The group is composed mostly of members that are companions of the Pinwheel Galaxy. The M51 Group and the NGC 5866 Group are M101's closest neighbor. The distances between these groups are similar which suggest the three groups are part of a single large, loose, elongated group. However, most identification methods consider them...
The M96 Group (also known as the Leo I Group), one of many in the Virgo Supercluster, is located within the Leo constellation and contains between 8 and 24 galaxies, including three Messier objects. The Leo Triplet, which is physically near M96 Group, and M96 may actually be separate parts of a much larger group.
The M81 Group, containing the well known galaxies Messier 81 and Messier 82, is a group of galaxies within the constellation Ursa Major. Along with Messier 81 and 82 are several other galaxies with apparent brightness. The center, located at an approximate distance of 3.6 Mpc, is one of the nearest groups to the Local Group. The total estimated mass of the group is (1.03 ± 0.17) × 1012M☉. The Virgo Supercluster contains the M81 Group, the Local Group, and some other nearby...
