Object Analysis

Messier 59 (M59) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster and is located about 60 million light-years from Earth. It is one of the largest elliptical galaxies in the cluster, though it is smaller and less famous than M87 or M49.

M59 is an E5 type elliptical, meaning it is quite elongated. Like most ellipticals, it contains mostly older, red stars and very little cold gas for star formation. It has a massive system of about 2,200 globular clusters orbiting its core, which is significantly more than our own Milky Way.

At the very center of M59 sits a supermassive black hole with a mass of approximately 270 million solar masses. Interestingly, the central core of the galaxy rotates in the opposite direction to the rest of the galaxy, a feature that likely points to a past merger with a smaller galaxy.