Messier 89

---

title: "Messier 89" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["elliptical-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_89" 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
name	Messier 89
author	J. L. Tonry
date	2001
title	The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances
journal	Astrophysical Journal
volume	546
bibcode	2001ApJ...546..681T
doi	10.1086/318301
arxiv	astro-ph/0011223
image	[[Image:Messier89 - HST - Potw1902a.tif
caption	M89 by Hubble Space Telescope.
epoch	J2000
constellation name	Virgo
ra
title	NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
work	Results for NGC 4552
url	http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=m89&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	2006-10-24
dec
size_v	5.1 × 4.7 moa
appmag_v	9.8
type	E, LINER, HIISy2
h_radial_v
z
gal_v
dist_ly	50 ±
names	NGC 4552, UGC 7760, PGC 41968
references	SIMBAD: Search M89
::

| name = Messier 89 | author=J. L. Tonry | display-authors=4 | author2=A. Dressler | author3=J. P. Blakeslee | author4=E. A. Ajhar | author5=A. B. Fletcher | author6=G. A. Luppino | author7=M. R. Metzger | author8=C. B. Moore | date=2001 | title=The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances | journal=Astrophysical Journal | volume=546 | issue=2 | pages=681–693 | bibcode=2001ApJ...546..681T | doi=10.1086/318301 |arxiv = astro-ph/0011223 | s2cid=17628238 }} | image = [[Image:Messier89 - HST - Potw1902a.tif|300px]] | caption = M89 by Hubble Space Telescope. | epoch = J2000 | constellation name = Virgo | ra = | title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | work=Results for NGC 4552 | url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=m89&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=2006-10-24 | dec = | size_v = 5.1 × 4.7 moa | appmag_v = 9.8 | type = E, LINER, HIISy2 | h_radial_v = |z = | gal_v = |dist_ly = 50 ± | names = NGC 4552, UGC 7760, PGC 41968 | references = SIMBAD: Search M89 Messier 89 (M89 for short, also known as NGC 4552) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier on March 18, 1781. M89 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.

Features

Current observations allow the possibility that M89 may be nearly perfectly spherical. Distinct flattening as ellipsoids is found in all easily measurable comparators up to a few times of its distance. The alternative explanation is that it is an ellipsoid oriented so that it appears spherical to an observer on Earth.

The galaxy features a surrounding structure of gas and dust, extending up to 150,000 light-years and jets of heated particles up to two-thirds of that. M89 has an extensive and complex system of surrounding shells and plumes, indicating that it has seen one or several notable mergers. | author=Janowiecki, Steven | display-authors=4 | author2=Mihos, J. Christopher | author3=Harding, Paul | author4=Feldmeier, John J. | author5=Rudick, Craig | author6=Morrison, Heather | date=2010 | title=Diffuse Tidal Structures in the Halos of Virgo Ellipticals | journal=The Astrophysical Journal | volume= 715| issue= 2| pages=972–985 | doi=10.1088/0004-637X/715/2/972 | bibcode=2010ApJ...715..972J |arxiv =1004.1473| s2cid=119196248 }}

Chandra studies in the wavelength of the X-Rays show two ring-like structures of hot gas in M89's nucleus, suggesting an outburst there 1 to 2 million years ago | author=Machacek, M. | author2=Nulsen, P. E. J. | author3=Jones, C. | author4=Forman, W. R. | date=2014 | title=Chandra Observations of Nuclear Outflows in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 4552 in the Virgo Cluster | journal=The Astrophysical Journal | volume= 648| issue= 2| pages=947–955 | doi=10.1086/505963 | bibcode=2006ApJ...648..947M |arxiv =astro-ph/0604406| s2cid=14060525 }} as well as ram-pressure stripping acting on the galaxy as it moves through Virgo's intracluster medium. | author=Machacek, M. | author2=Jones, C. | author3=Forman, W. R. | author4=Nulsen, P. | date=2006 | title=Chandra Observations of Gas Stripping in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 4552 in the Virgo Cluster | journal=The Astrophysical Journal | volume= 644| issue= 1| pages=155–166 | doi=10.1086/503350 | bibcode=2006ApJ...644..155M |arxiv =astro-ph/0508588| s2cid=17223014 }} The supermassive black hole at the core has a mass of .{{citation | title=Populating the Galaxy Velocity Dispersion - Supermassive Black Hole Mass Diagram: A Catalogue of (Mbh, σ) Values | last1=Graham | first1=Alister W. | postscript=. | journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia | volume=25 | issue=4 | pages=167–175 | date=November 2008 | doi=10.1071/AS08013 | bibcode=2008PASA...25..167G |arxiv = 0807.2549 | s2cid=89905 }}

M89 also has a large array of globular clusters. A 2006 survey estimates that there are 2,000 ± 700 of these within 25′. This compares to 150 to 200 of these thought (among which many proven) to surround the Milky Way. | author=Tamura, Naoyuki | display-authors=4 | author2=Sharples, Ray M. | author3=Arimoto, Nobuo | author4=Onodera, Masato | author5=Ohta, Kouji | author6=Yamada, Yoshihiko | date=2006 | title=A Subaru/Suprime-Cam wide-field survey of globular cluster populations around M87 - I. Observation, data analysis and luminosity function | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | volume= 373| issue= 2| pages=588–600 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.11067.x | doi-access=free | bibcode=2006MNRAS.373..588T |arxiv = astro-ph/0609067 | s2cid=15127905 }}

Gallery

Messier89 - SDSS DR14 (panorama).jpg|Messier 89 by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey M89map.png|Map of M89 Messier 089 Hubble WikiSky.jpg|HST image of M89

References

References

1. "Elliptical Galaxy M89 @ SEDS Messier pages".
2. This indicates that it may have once been an active [[quasar]] or [[radio galaxy]].[http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy_messier_81to90.html Messier Objects 81-90 @ Sea and Sky]

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