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Messier 61, or NGC 4303, is a barred spiral galaxy located about 53 million light years away, in the constellation Virgo. Classified morphologically as SABbc, M61 has an AGN (Active Galactic Nucleus) and is known to be a starburst galaxy. It has long been debated whether M61 had a supermassive black hole in its center. The fact that this galaxy is seen nearly face-on (about 75 degrees) makes it difficult to determine the mass of the black hole from kinetic measurements. Anyhow, in 2018, Pastorini et al. calculated its mass to be between 4 and 7 million solar masses. Messier 61 is a galaxy also known to have many supernovae, with eight such explosions in one century (the first one was discovered in 1926 and the latest one in 2020).
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): Messier 61. M61. NGC 4303
Type: Barred Spiral Galaxy Type SABbc
RA: 12h 21m 54s
Dec: +04º 28’ 28”
Constellation: Virgo
Size (arcmin): 7×6 arcmin
Magnitude: 10.2
Distance: 53 Mly
Image
Date: 2022-03-08 to 2022-03-27
Location: Curiosity2 Observatory, New Mexico Skies, Mayhill, NM, USA
Size (arcmin): 29×30 arcmin
Telescope: 24” (61 cm) f/6.5 Reflector
Camera: FLI PL16803 (4096x4096pix)
Guiding: Astrodon MonsterMOAG off-axis guider
Total exposure: 15 hours (L: 6h; RGB: 9h)
Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop CC 2022