Object Analysis

Messier 98 (M98) is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, located about 44 million light-years away. Like M90, it is blue-shifted and approaching the Milky Way at about 140 km/s. It is seen nearly edge-on from our perspective, appearing as a long, thin streak of light with a small, bright nucleus.

The galaxy is rich in neutral hydrogen and is undergoing active star formation, particularly in its central regions and along its disk. It features a massive amount of dust that obscures much of its internal structure, giving it a mottled and textured appearance in high-resolution photographs.

M98 is believed to be on a very elongated orbit through the Virgo Cluster. It likely passed near the massive galaxy M87 about 750 million years ago, an interaction that may have triggered the current burst of star formation. It is a "gas-rich" galaxy compared to its stripped neighbors, suggesting it is a relatively new arrival to the cluster's core.