| Designation(s) | Arp 116, M60, NGC 4649, NGC 4647 |
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Arp, Messier, NGC |
| Arp Category | Elliptical galaxies close to and perturbing spiral galaxies |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-04-16 00:15:00 |
| Instrument | EdgeHD 8" f10-2,032mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294mc-Pro |
| Image Details | Up is 274.6 degrees E of N. Total integration time was 37m. Exposures 30s@305g, UV/IR Cut Filter. 45% moon. Mostly clear night with good but not great seeing. Some clouds developed late and cut short this observation. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding.. |
| Description | This is the third of three entries posted by Messier on April 15, 1779, discovered while mapping the path of the Comet of 1779 through Virgo. Credit for the discovery is given to Johann Gottfried Koehler who observed it on April 11, 1779, four days earlier. Messier's entry: "Nebula in Virgo, a little more distinct than the two preceding [M58 and M59].... M. Messier reported it on the Chart of the Comet of 1779. He discovered these three nebulae while observing this Comet which passed very close to them. The latter passed so near on April 13 & 14 that the one & the other were both in the same field [of view] of the refractor, and he could not see it; it was not until the 15th, while looking for the Comet, that he perceived the nebula. These three nebulae don't appear to contain any star." Clearly, Messier saw only a single nebula, not two interacting ones. <--> In my image, NGC 4647 makes a lovely contrast with M60... a spiral galaxy with lots of structure vs. elliptical with virtually none other than a bright center. Certainly does appear that M60 is perturbing NGC 4647. Assuming NGC 4647 was close to circular when formed, the attraction has elongated its current shape and given the center of mass a slight kink to the south (towards M60). |
| Related Observations | M60 (2) |
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