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M60

NGC 4649

Proper NameNone
Messier NumberM60
NGC/IC NumberNGC 4649
ConstellationVirgo
Right Ascension12h 43m 40s
Declination+11° 33' 9"
Distancec. 54,800,000 light years
c. 16,800,000 parsecs
MagnitudeApparent: +9.8
Absolute: -21.3
DiameterApparent: 7.6'
Actual: c.120,000 light years
Hubble TypeE2 Elliptical
Optimum VisibilityApril
NotesThis member galaxy of the Virgo Cluster has a flattened elliptical shape (which leads some authorities to classify it as a lenticular rather than an elliptical galaxy). Its nucleus is home to a supermassive black hole, with a mass estimated at some 4.5 billion times than of the Sun (making it one of the most massive such bodies known).

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