M105, NGC 3379
M105 is a type E1 elliptical galaxy and the brightest member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M95 and M96 as well as various NGC and other galaxies. M105 was used as a photometric standard for surface brightness distributions due to the smoothness of its profile, but as is...
M106, NGC 4258
M106 is a type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. More edge-on than not, at a similar inclination to M31, its prominent dust lanes trace spiral structure back almost to its nucleus. M106 is around 25 million light-years away and may be a member of a loose galaxy grouping...
M108, NGC 3556
M108 is a type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Almost edge-on, it shows little or no bulge and no noticeably strong center, being a motley collection of features often referred to, in classic understatement, as very dusty. The spiral structure is not very clearly delineated,...
M109, NGC 3992
M109 is a type SBc barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. M109 is around 40 to 50 million light-years away in a loose galaxy grouping which includes M108 and possibly M106. This picture was created from observations using the T2KA CCD camera at the Kitt Peak National...
M110, NGC 205
M110 is the second small companion (along with M32) to our sister galaxy, M31, the Andromeda Nebula. It is classified as type E5 or E6, often with the additional "p" for peculiar because of the structure clearly visible in this short exposure image, which is probably due to dust clouds. Because...
The Omega Nebula, M17
The Omega Nebula, M17 or NGC6618, in the constellation Sagittarius. M17 is a bright emission nebula excited by young stars, but with lanes of opaque dust; it is also referred to as the Swan Nebula and the Horseshoe Nebula. M17 is about 5700 light-years away and contains about 800 solar masses...
M12, NGC 6218
M12 is a globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus, very similar to its near neighbor M10, although much less centrally concentrated. M12 is around 70 light-years across and some 15000 light-years away. This approximately true-color picture was created from images taken in June 1995 using...
M18, NGC 6613
M18 is an open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It is a widely spread poor cluster with fewer than a couple of dozen members, about 5000 light-years away and quite young, only around 30 million years old. This approximately true-color picture was created from images taken in June 1996...
M19, NGC 6273
M19 is a globular cluster in the constellation of Ophiuchus, located about nine degrees above (north) of the galactic plane and slightly west of the line of sight from Earth to the galactic center. It's actually on the opposite side of the galactic center from Earth, so despite being over 28000...
M21, NGC 6531
The open cluster M21, or NGC6531, in the constellation Sagittarius. This cluster shows a strong central concentration and a wide range of star brightnesses, despite its limited membership of probably fewer than 60 stars. Most likely quite young (for a star cluster, that means only a few million...
M30, NGC 7099
M30, or NGC7099, a globular cluster in the constellation Capricornus, is about 75 light-years across and about 26,000 light-years away. This image was taken in July 1997 at the Kitt Peak 0.9-meter telescope, during the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program operated at the Kitt...
M34, NGC 1039
The open cluster M34, 1400 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Perseus, contains about a hundred stars in a region some dozen light-years across, and is visible to the naked eye under good conditions. This approximately true-color picture was created from images taken in July...
A piece of M31
Part of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, seen through a narrow filter near, but not at, the H-alpha emission line of ionized hydrogen.
M3, NGC 5272
M3, or NGC5272, is a sixth magnitude globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. A fairly striking globular of about half a million stars, M3 was Messier's first previously uncatalogued object, and probably the impetus for his systematic search leading to the Messier Catalog. This...
M40 (Winnecke 4)
M40 is a faint double star cataloged by Messier while searching for a nebula reported in error by Hevelius. This indicates some of the shortcomings of Messier's work which, while ground breaking and of inestimable value, was somewhat less than systematic. The pair was re-observed in 1863 and...
M54, NGC 6715
M54 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It is bright but small, and its core is not resolved here. M54 was always thought to be some 60000 light-years away, but there is now a claim that it is actually part of an extragalactic system, a member of the Local Group called the...
M55, NGC 6809
M55 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. Quite large on the sky (about two thirds of the Moon's diameter), but with a very loose, almost non-globular, appearance, M55 is about 18000 light-years away and about 100 light-years across. This composite was created from images...
M58, NGC 4579
M58 is a spiral galaxy of type SBc in the constellation Virgo, although the bar is not prominent and some have classified it as intermediate between normal and barred spirals. This CCD composite picture was taken in April 1998 at the Kitt Peak 0.9-meter telescope. M58 is a member of the Virgo...
M60, NGC 4649
M60 is a large elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, being about 120000 light-years across. It stands out in even small telescopes due to the proximity of the late-type spiral NGC4647 (to the NW), but such apertures may only see the central brighter regions, making M60 look considerably...
M61, NGC 4303
The SABbc spiral galaxy M61 is one of the larger galaxies in the Virgo cluster, with a core dimension some 100000 light-years (6 arc minutes) across, comparable to the size of our own Galaxy. This picture was taken in February 1996 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also...
Leo Triplet (M66 group)
This small group of galaxies consists of the Messier objects M65 (NGC3623), lower right, and M66 (NGC3627), lower left, along with the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC3628, upper left. These three galaxies form a rather attractive triplet at the heart of the M66 group, which includes a number of other...
M64, NGC 4826
The "Black Eye" or "Sleeping Beauty" galaxy, M64 is a spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Coma Berenices. The peculiar dust lane to the north of the nucleus (top of image) may have been created from a small companion galaxy absorbed into the main spiral, but not yet relaxed into the...
M66, NGC 3627
M66 is a spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Leo. At a distance of about 35 million light-years, M66 apparently forms a triplet with its neighbors M65 and NGC3628, as seen in this lower resolution but wider field image. This image was taken with the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at the...
M67, NGC 2682
M67 is an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer. One of the oldest known such clusters, M67 was believed to be an amazing 10 billion years old. New estimates, however, fall below 4 billion years, still quite old but younger than the current winner NGC6791, at 7 billion. M67 contains...
M70, NGC 6681
M70 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It has a very dense core, and this image has been quite thoroughly stretched to show both the inner crowding and the outer more sparse regions. M70 is about 65 light-years across and about 30000 light-years away. This composite was...
M73, NGC 6994
M73, a small open cluster in the constellation Aquarius, is a minor though genuine Messier object, probably appearing just nebulous enough through Messier's early-generation telescope to qualify. It is a group of four bright stars with not much else around. Although some people think it is an...
M81, NGC 3031
M81, a type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. This composite color image was created from CCD observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in late December 1994.
M74, NGC 628
A face-on type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces, M74 is about 30 million light-years away and about 80000 light-years across. KPNO 0.9-meter telescope, 1991.
M75, NGC 6864
M75 is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It is one of the more remote globulars, over 61000 light-years away and as much as 100000 according to some sources. Quite centrally condensed, it is also large and bright (over 100 light-years across and a couple of hundred thousand...
M79, NGC 1904
M79, an attractive globular cluster in the constellation Lepus, is rare, in that it is one of the few globulars further out in the Galaxy than our own Sun's location. This picture is from the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope.
M82, NGC 3034
M82, an irregular galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. This composite color image was created from CCD observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in late December 1994.
M84, NGC 4374
M84 is an elliptical galaxy of type E1 and a member of the large Virgo Cluster of galaxies. There are also some suggestions that it is actually a face-on lenticular galaxy. Lenticulars, type S0, are mostly smooth and featureless, like elliptical galaxies, but have a significant amount of dust...
M85, NGC 4382
A lenticular galaxy of type S0, M85 is the northernmost member of the Virgo Cluster, and is therefore situated in the constellation Coma Berenices. M85 is very similar to M84. This picture was made from observations taken at KPNO's 0.9-meter telescope in December 1996. The Virgo cluster also...
M87, NGC 4486
A giant elliptical galaxy (E0) in the Virgo Cluster, M87 is a strong radio source, known as 3C274 or Virgo A. This image was taken at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope in December 1996, and shows the inner regions of the galaxy, including the well-known jet. The full extent of the galaxy can be...
M90, NGC 4569
M90 is a large spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Virgo. Although large, it seems to have a relatively small mass and thus be of low density. The nearby high surface brightness spiral, IC3583, is clearly visible to the north and seems a bit distorted, which led H.C.Arp to include...
M91, NGC 4548
M91 is a spiral galaxy of type SBb in the constellation Coma Berenices. The bar is quite conspicuous. M91 was considered the `lost' Messier object: see the discussion at the Web site of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. M91 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies,...
M93, NGC 2447
M93 is an open star cluster in the constellation Puppis. A small but bright system, it contains maybe 100 members spread over some 25 light-years in diameter, at a distance of around 3500 light-years. CCD color composite from data taken on the nights of September 20th and 21st 1997 (UT), at the...
M96, NGC 3368
The Sa spiral galaxy M96 is the second brightest member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M95 and M105, as well as various NGC and other galaxies. At a distance of about 38 million light-years, the faint outer regions just visible at the top and (particularly) the bottom of this...
M95, NGC 3351
The SBb barred spiral galaxy M95, possibly ringed, is a member of the Leo I galaxy grouping, which includes M96, and M105, as well as various NGC and other galaxies, all at a distance of about 38 million light-years. This picture was taken in December 1994 at the KPNO 0.9-meter telescope and...
M99; NGC 4254
M99 is a type Sc spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. Its face-on orientation fully reveals its spiral arms, and this picture has been `flattened' to show arm structure both near the nucleus and into the outer regions of the galaxy (most representations either saturate the center...
Ghost of Jupiter, NGC 3242
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic Camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory on December 15th, 2006. This wide-field image shows the extended cloud of gas near the planetary nebula NGC 3242. Also known as the “Ghost of Jupiter”, NGC...
M98, NGC 4192
M98 is a nearly edge-on type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. It contains a great deal of dust, which reddens the light of the small but bright central nucleus: some new star formation regions show up as blue knots. Note that in astronomical parlance, "reddening" makes the...
NGC 2261, Hubble's Variable Nebula
This image of Hubble's Variable Nebula in the constellation of Monoceros was taken with the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 0.9-meter telescope in March 1995. This deep version of the image shows the faint tail extending down to the south from the nebula. To the north, almost directly above...
NGC 2685
NGC2685 is an interesting polar ring galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It is also called the Helix Galaxy or the Pancake Galaxy. It has a set of unusual whorls, or helical filaments, surrounding the central spindle of a relatively normal S0 galaxy, and was called the most unusual galaxy...
Spiral Galaxy NGC 4395
None This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 4395 is a spiral galaxy with a very low surface brightness. Unlike most galaxies the center of the galaxy is small and faint. Nearly all galaxies are...
NGC 1232 in Eridanus
NGC1232, an almost face-on spiral galaxy of type Sc in the constellation Eridanus, is about 50 million light-years away and about 100000 light-years across. This true-color picture was created from eleven images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's 2.1-meter...
NGC 1300 in Eridanus
NGC1300, an almost face-on barred spiral galaxy of type SBbc in the constellation Eridanus, is about 46 million light-years away and about 85000 light-years across. This true-color picture was created from fifteen images taken in the BVR pass-bands at the Kitt Peak National Observatory's...
NGC 4490, Barred Spiral Galaxy
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 4490 is a barred spiral galaxy (center) that is in the early stages of merging with the smaller galaxy NGC 4485 (upper right). The gravitational pull...
Spiral Galaxies NGC 5905 & NGC 5908
This image was taken with the KPNO Mayall 4-meter telescope on April 10, 2007. Located in the constellation of Draco, NGC 5905 and NGC 5908 are two spiral galaxies that are relatively near to each other. NGC 5905, in the upper-right corner, is seen face-on; whereas NGC 5908, in the lower left...
The Pegasus Local Group dwarf galaxy
The Pegasus Local Group dwarf galaxy, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
Dwarf Galaxy NGC 5474
Located in the constellation Ursa Major, NGC 5474 is a dwarf galaxy and nearest companion to the large spiral galaxy M101. Strong gravitational interactions with M101 have distorted the shape of NGC 5474, triggering star formation and offsetting the nucleus of the galaxy from the disk. This...
The WLM Local Group dwarf galaxy
The WLM Local Group dwarf galaxy, as observed with the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope and Mosaic II camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
Trio of Galaxies (NGC 5981, NGC 5982 and NGC 5985)
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The edge-on galaxy NGC 5981 (top), the elliptical galaxy NGC 5982 (middle) and the spiral galaxy NGC 5985 (bottom) form a distinct trio. It is not clear if or...
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans A
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans A, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans B
The Local Group dwarf galaxy Sextans B, as observed with the KPNO Mayall 4-m telescope and Mosaic camera as part of the NOAO-sponsored Local Group Survey (PI: Philip Massey, Lowell Observatory). The image is a true-color combination of images in three of the filters used by the survey. The full...
vdB 141 South
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic Camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. This globule is located just south of vdB 141, a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. This very faint nebula looks like a bird about to...
Planetary Nebula Sh2-68
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Sh2-68 is an ancient planetary nebula that is estimated to be at least 45,000 years old. The diffuse orange emission to the upper right is the result of the...
Veil Nebula (partial)
The Veil nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, is an enormous region of diffuse gas emission, covering several degrees on the sky. Although this image is over a degree across (more than 40 light-years), using the full wide-field capability of the Schmidt telescope, it still shows only the...
Veil Nebula (partial)
The Veil nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, is an enormous region of diffuse gas emission, covering several degrees on the sky. Although this image is over a degree across (more than 40 light-years), using the full wide-field capability of the Schmidt telescope, it still shows only the...
Elliptical Galaxy NGC 5363 and Spiral Galaxy NGC 5364
This image was obtained with the wide-field view of the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NGC 5363 is the elliptical galaxy in the upper-left corner of the image. And NGC 5364 is the spiral galaxy in the lower right. These two galaxies are likely...
Providers | Sign In
NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.