| Description | The fifth of 9 entries added to the Messier catalog on March 8, 1781, also (#38) credited to Messier. "Nebula without star, in Virgo, between two small stars & one star of the sixth magnitude, which appear at the same time as the nebula in the field of the telescope. Its luminosity is one of the faintest, & [it] resembles the one reported in Virgo, No. 58." <--> Captured in the wee hours on an evening that started with remarkable seeing, but was now rapidly degrading due to a 90%, rising moon. Considering the conditions and limited time, I think a decent observation. An elegant, spiral galaxy, and yes, if all you saw was a blur, not dissimilar from M58. |
