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M88

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space2 months ago•94 min saved

Hubble Captures Mesmerizing Spiral Galaxy M88 in Virgo Cluster

Space.com highlights a new Hubble Space Telescope image of Messier 88 (NGC 4501), a spiral, active galaxy in the Virgo Cluster about 63 million light-years away. Captured with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, the image reveals swirling spiral arms feeding a central supermassive black hole and offers insight into how spiral galaxies operate in different environments. The piece notes this image is part of a broader study of spiral galaxies, and adds a playful warning that staring at the swirl might hypnotize you.

via Space|

#astronomy #galaxies #hubble-space-telescope

science2 months ago•2 min saved

M88 Edges Toward Virgo Core, Losing Gas in a Cosmic Journey

NASA/ESA's Hubble image captures Messier 88 (NGC 4501), an active spiral about 63 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster, with a supermassive black hole at its center and bright star-forming regions along its arms. As M88 journeys toward the cluster’s core—potentially near M87 in 200–300 million years—it will experience ram pressure stripping by the intracluster medium, which will remove gas, truncate its outer disk, and likely reduce its star-forming fuel, altering its evolution. The observation, part of program 18103 using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, aims to understand how crowded environments affect spiral galaxies.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#galaxy-evolution #m88 #ram-pressure-stripping