Messier 88

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title: "Messier 88" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["unbarred-spiral-galaxies", "virgo-cluster", "coma-berenices", "messier-objects", "ngc-objects", "ugc-objects", "principal-galaxies-catalogue-objects", "astronomical-objects-discovered-in-1781", "discoveries-by-charles-messier"] description: "Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_88" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices ::

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

Field	Value
name	Messier 88
image	[[Image:M88_2022_revision.jpg
caption	Spiral Galaxy Messier 88
epoch	J2000
constellation name	Coma Berenices
ra	{{cite web
title	Results for NGC 4501
work	NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
url	http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=Messier+88&img_stamp=yes
publisher	California Institute of Technology
access-date	2006-11-14
dec
size_v	6.9 × 3.7 moa
size	131,250 ly (40.26 kpc) (estimated)
appmag_v	9.6
type	SA(rs)b, HII Sy2
names	NGC 4501, UGC 7675, PGC 41517, VCC 1401
::

| name=Messier 88 | image = [[Image:M88_2022_revision.jpg|300px]] | caption=Spiral Galaxy Messier 88 | epoch=J2000 | constellation name=Coma Berenices | ra={{cite web | title=Results for NGC 4501 | work=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=Messier+88&img_stamp=yes | publisher=California Institute of Technology | access-date=2006-11-14 | dec= | size_v=6.9 × 3.7 moa | size = 131,250 ly (40.26 kpc) (estimated) | appmag_v=9.6 | type=SA(rs)b, HII Sy2

| names=NGC 4501, UGC 7675, PGC 41517, VCC 1401 Messier 88 (also known as M88 or NGC 4501) is a spiral galaxy about 50 to 60 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781.

Properties

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/M88map.png" caption="Location of M88"] ::

M88 is one of the fifteen Messier objects that belong to the nearby Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is galaxy number 1401 in the Virgo Cluster Catalogue (VCC) of 2096 galaxies that are candidate members of the cluster. | author=Binggeli, B. | author2=Sandage, A. | author3=Tammann, G. A. | date=1985 | title=Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II – A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area | journal=Astronomical Journal | volume=90 | pages=1681–1759 | doi=10.1086/113874 | bibcode=1985AJ.....90.1681B | author=Vollmer, B. | date=2008 | title=Pre-peak ram pressure stripping in the Virgo cluster spiral galaxy NGC 4501 | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=483 | issue=1 | pages=89–106 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20078139 | bibcode=2008A&A...483...89V | display-authors=1 | last2=Soida | first2=M. | last3=Chung | first3=A. | last4=Van Gorkom | first4=J. H. | last5=Otmianowska-Mazur | first5=K. | last6=Beck | first6=R. | last7=Urbanik | first7=M. | last8=Kenney | first8=J. D. P. |arxiv = 0801.4874 | s2cid=15005390

This galaxy is inclined to the line of sight by 64°. | author=Tully, R. B. | author2=Fisher, J. R. | date=1977 | title=A new method of determining distances to galaxies | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=54 | issue=3 | pages=661–673 | bibcode=1977A&A....54..661T | author=Möllenhoff, C. | author2=Heidt, J. | date=2001 | title=Surface photometry of spiral galaxies in NIR: Structural parameters of disks and bulges | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=368 | issue=1 | pages=16–37 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20000335 | bibcode=2001A&A...368...16M | doi-access=free | url=http://leda.univ-lyon1.fr/ | title=Database for physics of galaxies | work=HyperLeda | publisher=Université de Lyon | access-date=2009-09-16

M88 is classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy, which means it produces narrow spectral line emission from highly ionized gas in the nucleus. | first1=L. S.|last1=Sparke|author1-link= Linda Sparke | first2=J. S. III|last2=Gallagher | date=2007 | title=Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction | publisher=Cambridge University Press | isbn=978-0-521-67186-6 | author=Onodera, S. | author2=Sofue, Y. | author3=Koda, J. | author4=Nakanishi, H. | author5=Kohno, K. | date=2002 | chapter=CO (J=1-0) Observations of the Non-Barred Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 4501 | editor=Ikeuchi, S. | editor2=Hearnshaw, J. | editor3=Hanawa, T. | title=Proceedings of the IAU 8th Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting | pages=199 | bibcode=2002aprm.conf..199O | author=Merloni, Andrea | author2=Heinz, Sebastian | author3=di Matteo, Tiziana|author3-link=Tiziana Di Matteo (astrophysicist) | date=2003 | title=A Fundamental Plane of black hole activity | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | volume=345 | issue=4 | pages=1057–1076 | doi=10.1046/j.1365-2966.2003.07017.x |arxiv = astro-ph/0305261 |bibcode = 2003MNRAS.345.1057M | s2cid=14310323 }}

One supernova has been observed in M88: SN 1999cl (type Ia, mag. 16.4). | last=James | first=N. D. | date=1999 | title=Supernova 1999cl in NGC 4501 (M88) | journal=Journal of the British Astronomical Association | volume=109 | issue=4 | pages=178 | bibcode=1999JBAA..109..178J

References

References

1. "Messier 88".
2. (20 September 2009). "Object Information".
3. (30 January 2010). "Messier 88".
4. (29 June 2011). "M88".
5. [https://www.wis-tns.org/object/1999cl Transient Name Server entry for SN 199cl.] Retrieved 26 March 2023.

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