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M84

NGC 4374

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberM84
NGC/IC NumberNGC 4374
ConstellationVirgo
Right Ascension12h 25m 4s
Declination+12° 53' 13"
Distancec.40 million light years
c. 12 million parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +9.3
DimensionsApparent: 5' x 4.4'
Actual diameter: c.25,000 light years
Hubble TypeElliptical class E1
Optimum VisibilityApril
NotesA relatively small galaxy of the lenticular type, shaped somewhat like a flattened disc, but with little active star formation. M84 lies in the inner regions of the great Virgo Cluster, and forms the western end of the string of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain.
Location of M84

M84 lies at the heart of a group of thousands of galaxies that together form the Virgo Cluster. This map shows some of its more prominent neighbours, each of which represents millions or billions of individual stars.

An elliptical galaxy more than forty million light years from the Earth, part of the Virgo Cluster. Its diameter is roughly one quarter the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Image of M84

M84 in the Virgo Cluster is an elliptical galaxy of the type known as lenticular. It has a flattened shape somewhat like that of a discus.

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