Observation by Adam Rawlinson: M86 and entourage

Uploaded by

Adam Rawlinson

Observer

Adam Rawlinson

Observed

2024 Mar 06 - 23:00

Uploaded

2024 Mar 07 - 14:18

Objects

M86

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Constellation

Virgo

Field centre

RA: 12^h26^m
Dec: +12°52'
Position angle: +13°30'

Field size

1°11' × 0°57'

Equipment

Primaluce Airy 90 APO
SXPro 694 Trius C

Exposure

1500secs + dark

Location

Sandhurst UK

Target name

M86

Title

M86 and entourage

About this image

First imaging of the virgo cluster this season.

M86 right in the middle of the Virgo galaxy cluster

M86 is really interesting. Firstly it is BLUE shifted actually approaching us and quickly too - some 250km/s. Mind you at 16Mpc away it wont be here anytime soon.

It is also gravitationally interacting with NGC4438 - hopefully the astrometrics will show this when registered and causing that weird shape of in the latter.

Also, M86 is undergoing a phenomonen known as Ram Pressure Stripping, the high relative velocity of the galaxy as it passes through the intercluster medium is causing gas within the galaxy to be "swept out". There are some great Chandra images (xray) showing a trail of gas now rarified and hot behind the galaxy.

Its a big galaxy and it has influnced other galaxies around in, there is a huge swarm of globular clusters (very old low metallicity stars) and a batch of remnant dwarf companions (similar to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds)

And that is just one galaxy. I can count at least 36 more in this image - without any processing or stretching.

Files associated with this observation

m86-friends.jpg (520.4 kB)

Like this image

Graeme Coates, Graham Winstanley, Andy Wilson, Callum Potter

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