The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3Mly (16.5 ± 0.1 Mpc)[4] away in the Virgo constellation. Comprising approximately 1,300 (and possibly up to 2,000) member galaxies,[5] the cluster forms the heart of the larger Virgo Supercluster, of which the Local Group (containing the Milky Way galaxy) is a member. The Local Group actually experiences the mass of the Virgo Supercluster as the Virgocentric flow. It is estimated that the Virgo Cluster's mass is 1.2×1015M☉ out to 8 degrees of the cluster's center or a radius of about 2.2 Mpc.[6]
Many of the brighter galaxies in this cluster, including the giant elliptical galaxyMessier 87, were discovered in the late 1770s and early 1780s and subsequently included in Charles Messier's catalogue of non-cometary fuzzy objects. Described by Messier as nebulae without stars, their true nature was not recognized until the 1920s.[A]
The cluster extends across approximately 8 degrees centered in the constellation Virgo. Some of its most prominent members can be seen with binoculars and small telescopes, while a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160 of the cluster's galaxies on a clear night. Its brightest member is the elliptical galaxyMessier 49.[8]
Characteristics
The cluster is a fairly heterogeneous mixture of spiral and elliptical galaxies.[9]As of 2004, it is believed that the spiral galaxies of the cluster are distributed in an oblong prolatefilament, approximately four times as long as it is wide, stretching along the line of sight from the Milky Way.[10] The elliptical galaxies are more centrally concentrated than the spiral galaxies.[11] The first example of an ultra-diffuse galaxy was also found in the central core of the cluster in 1984.
Many of the galaxies contained within the Virgo cluster undergo ram pressure stripping, where pressure from the dense intracluster medium efficiently removes molecular gas from the cluster's galaxies. This gas removal can eventually lead to the quenching of star formation in these galaxies.[19]
Map of the local universe centered on the Local Group (image diameter 200 Mly ≈ 60 Mpc). Most of the Virgo Supercluster, including Virgo Cluster, is visible in the center right of the image, at about 50 Mly from the Local Group.Photograph of the Virgo Cluster, a few degrees around M86, with labelled galaxies
Below is a table of bright or notable objects in the cluster and their subcluster. In some cases a galaxy may be considered to be in a different subcluster by other researchers (sources:[12][17][29][30])
Column 1: The name of the galaxy.
Column 2: The right ascension for epoch 2000.
Column 3: The declination for epoch 2000.
Column 4: The blue apparent magnitude of the galaxy.
↑Chamaraux, P.; Balkowski, C.; Gerard, E. (1980). "The H I deficiency of the Virgo cluster spirals". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 83 (1–2): 38–51. Bibcode:1980A&A....83...38C.
1234Gavazzi, G.; Boselli, A.; Scodeggio, M.; Pierini, D.; Belsole, E. (1999). "The 3D structure of the Virgo cluster from H-band Fundamental Plane and Tully-Fisher distance determinations". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 304 (3): 595–610. arXiv:astro-ph/9812275. Bibcode:1999MNRAS.304..595G. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02350.x. S2CID41700753.
↑Tully, R. B.; Shaya, E. J. (1984). "Infall of galaxies into the Virgo cluster and some cosmological constraints". Astrophysical Journal. 281: 31–55. Bibcode:1984ApJ...281...31T. doi:10.1086/162073.
↑Brown, Toby; Wilson, Christine D.; Zabel, Nikki; Davis, Timothy A.; Boselli, Alessandro; Chung, Aeree; Ellison, Sara L.; Lagos, Claudia D. P.; Stevens, Adam R. H.; Cortese, Luca; Bahé, Yannick M. (2021-12-01). "VERTICO: The Virgo Environment Traced In CO Survey". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 257 (2): 21. arXiv:2111.00937. Bibcode:2021ApJS..257...21B. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ac28f5. ISSN0067-0049. S2CID240354399.
↑Lea, S. M.; Mushotzky, R.; Holt, S. S. (1982). "Einstein Observatory solid state spectrometer observations of M87 and the Virgo cluster". Astrophysical Journal. 262 (1): 24–32. Bibcode:1982ApJ...262...24L. doi:10.1086/160392. hdl:2060/19820026438. S2CID120960432.
↑Ferguson, H. (1997). "Intergalactic Stars in the Virgo Cluster". HST Proposal: 7411. Bibcode:1997hst..prop.7411F.
Kashibadze, Olga G.; Karachentsev, Igor D.; Karachentseva, Valentina E. (2020). "おとめ座銀河団の構造と運動学". Astronomy & Astrophysics . 635 : A135. arXiv : 2002.12820 . Bibcode : 2020A & A...635A.135K . doi : 10.1051/0004-6361/201936172 .
外部リンク
宇宙アトラスにあるおとめ座銀河団、160個の最大の銀河の地図(および表)
カリフォルニア工科大学のサイト(おとめ座クラスター内)。
おとめ座銀河団、SEDSメシエのページ
M87を中心とした乙女座星団の一部(暗い大気)
Binggeli, B.; Sandage, A.; Tammann, G. A. (1985). "Studies of the Virgo cluster. II. A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo cluster area". The Astronomical Journal. 90: 1681. Bibcode:1985AJ.....90.1681B. doi:10.1086/113874.
Categories:
Virgo Cluster
Virgo Supercluster
Virgo (constellation)
Coma Berenices
Hidden categories:
Articles with short description
Short description is different from Wikidata
Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2004
All articles containing potentially dated statements