Messier 86

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title: "Messier 86" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lenticular-galaxies", "virgo-cluster", "virgo-(constellation)", "messier-objects", "ngc-objects", "ugc-objects", "principal-galaxies-catalogue-objects", "astronomical-objects-discovered-in-1781", "discoveries-by-charles-messier"] description: "Elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_86" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Galaxy"]

Field	Value
image	Beacon of Light Messier 86.jpg
caption	Galaxy Messier 86 in Virgo, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope
name	Messier 86
type	S0(3)/E3
title	NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
work	Results for NGC 4406
url	http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=M86&extend=no&hconst=73&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&out_csys=Equatorial&out_equinox=J2000.0&obj_sort=RA+or+Longitude&of=pre_text&zv_breaker=30000.0&list_limit=5&img_stamp=YES
access-date	2006-11-14
epoch	J2000
ra
dec
dist_ly	52 ± 3 Mly (15.9 ± 1.0 Mpc)
author	Jensen, Joseph B.
date	2003
title	Measuring Distances and Probing the Unresolved Stellar Populations of Galaxies Using Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations
journal	Astrophysical Journal
volume	583
bibcode	2003ApJ...583..712J
doi	10.1086/345430
arxiv	astro-ph/0210129
z	−0.000814 ± 0.000017 (−244 ± 5 km/s)
appmag_v	8.9
size_v	8.9 × 5.8
constellation name	Virgo
notes	displays a rare blue shift
names	NGC 4406, UGC 7532, PGC 40653, VCC 0881
::

| image = Beacon of Light Messier 86.jpg | caption = Galaxy Messier 86 in Virgo, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | credit = | name = Messier 86 | type = S0(3)/E3 | title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | work=Results for NGC 4406 | url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=M86&extend=no&hconst=73&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&out_csys=Equatorial&out_equinox=J2000.0&obj_sort=RA+or+Longitude&of=pre_text&zv_breaker=30000.0&list_limit=5&img_stamp=YES | access-date=2006-11-14 | epoch = J2000 | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 52 ± 3 Mly (15.9 ± 1.0 Mpc) | author=Jensen, Joseph B. | display-authors=4 | author2=Tonry, John L. | author3=Barris, Brian J. | author4=Thompson, Rodger I. | author5=Liu, Michael C. | author6=Rieke, Marcia J. | author7=Ajhar, Edward A. | author8=Blakeslee, John P. | date=2003 | title=Measuring Distances and Probing the Unresolved Stellar Populations of Galaxies Using Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations | journal=Astrophysical Journal | volume=583 | issue=2 | pages=712–726 | bibcode=2003ApJ...583..712J | doi=10.1086/345430 |arxiv = astro-ph/0210129 | s2cid=551714 }} | z = −0.000814 ± 0.000017 (−244 ± 5 km/s) | appmag_v = 8.9 | size_v = 8.9 × 5.8 | constellation name = Virgo | notes = displays a rare blue shift | names = NGC 4406, UGC 7532, PGC 40653, VCC 0881

Messier 86 (also known as M86 or NGC 4406) is a bright elliptical or lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M86 lies in the heart of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and forms a most conspicuous group with another large galaxy known as Messier 84. It displays the highest blue shift of all Messier objects, as it is, net of its other vectors of travel, approaching the Milky Way at 244 km/s. This is due to both galaxies falling roughly towards the center of the Virgo cluster from opposing ends. | last1=Jacoby | first1=G. H. | display-authors=4 | last2=Kenney | first2=G. H. | last3=Tal | first3=J. D. P. | last4=Crowl | first4=H. H. | last5=Feldmeier | first5=J. J. | date=2005 | title=Imaging and Spectroscopy of Large Scale H-alpha Filaments in M86 | journal=Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society | volume=37 | pages=1392 | bibcode=2005AAS...20713806J

Messier 86 has a rich array of globular clusters, with a total number of around 3,800. Its halo also has a number of stellar streams interpreted as remnants of dwarf galaxies that have been disrupted and absorbed by this galaxy.

Messier 86 is linked by several filaments of ionized gas to the severely disrupted spiral galaxy NGC 4438, indicating that M86 may have stripped some gas and interstellar dust from the spiral. |display-authors=6 |author=Gomez, H. L. |author2=Baes, M. |author3=Cortese, L. |author4=Smith, M. W. L. |author5=Boselli, A. |author6=Ciesla, L. |author7=Bendo, G. J. |author8=Pohlen, M. |author9=di Serego Alighieri, S. |author10=Auld, R. |author11=Barlow, M. J. |author12=Bock, J. J. |author13=Bradford, M. |author14=Buat, V. |author15=Castro-Rodriguez, N. |author16=Chanial, P. |author17=Charlot, S. |author18=Clements, D. L. |author19=Cooray, A. |author20=Cormier, D. |author21=Davies, J. I. |author22=Dwek, E. |author23=Eales, S. |author24=Elbaz, D. |author25=Galametz, M. |author26=Galliano, F. |author27=Gear, W. K. |author28=Glenn, J. |author29=Griffin, M. |author30=Hony, S. |author31=Isaak, K. G. |author32=Levenson, L. R. |author33=Lu, N. |author34=Madden, S. |author35=O'Halloran, B. |author36=Okumura, K. |author37=Oliver, S. |author38=Page, M. J. |author39=Panuzzo, P. |author40=Papageorgiou, A. |author41=Parkin, T. J. |author42=Perez-Fournon, I. |author43=Rangwala, N. |author44=Rigby, E. E. |author45=Roussel, H. |author46=Rykala, A. |author47=Sacchi, N. |author48=Sauvage, M. |author49=Schirm, M. R. P. |author50=Schulz, B. |author51=Spinoglio, L. |author52=Srinivasan, S. |author53=Stevens, J. A. |author54=Symeonidis, M. |author55=Trichas, M. |author56=Vaccari, M. |author57=Vigroux, L. |author58=Wilson, C. D. |author59=Wozniak, H. |author60=Wright, G. S. |author61=Zeilinger, W. W. |date=2010 |title=A Spectacular Hα Complex in Virgo: Evidence for a Collision between M86 and NGC 4438 and Implications for the Collisional ISM Heating of Ellipticals |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=518 |pages=L45 |id=L45 |doi =10.1051/0004-6361/201014530 |bibcode =2010A&A...518L..45G|arxiv = 1005.1597 |s2cid=14563125 |author=Randall, S. |author2=Nulsen, P. |author3=Forman, W. R. |author4=Jones, C. |author5=Machacek, M. |author6=Murray, S. S. |author7=Maughan, B. |display-authors=6 |date=2008 |title=Chandra's View of the Ram Pressure Stripped Galaxy M86 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=518 |issue=1 |pages=208–223 |doi =10.1086/592324 |bibcode =2008ApJ...688..208R|arxiv = 0806.0866 |s2cid=15688704

NOTOC

References

References

1. "Messier 86".
2. "Globular Cluster Systems in Galaxies Beyond the Local Group.". NASA-IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED).
3. (2025). "A non-uniform metal distribution in the ram-pressure-stripped circumgalactic medium of M86". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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