The Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way. With over a thousand known members, the cluster spans an area of the sky about 5 by 3 degrees in size. While some of the most prominent members can be seen in smaller instruments, a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160 galaxies in this region on a clear night.
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Messier 100 (M100) is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 55 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.1. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4321.
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Messier 91 (M91) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 11 and lies at an approximate distance of 63 million light years from Earth. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4548.
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Messier 90 (M90) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster. M90 lies at a distance of 58.7 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.26. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4569.
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Messier 89 (M89) is an elliptical galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 50 million light years and has an apparent magnitude of 10.73. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4552.
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Messier 88 (M88) is a spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 47 million light years and has an apparent magnitude of 10.4. It has the designation NGC 4501 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 88 occupies an area of 6.9 by 3.7 arc minutes of apparent sky, which corresponds to a spatial extension of 105,000 light years.
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Messier 87 (M87), also known as Virgo A or the Smoking Gun, is a supergiant elliptical galaxy located in the core of the Virgo Cluster, in the southern constellation Virgo. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 9.59 and lies at a distance of 53.5 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 4486 in the New General Catalogue.
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