M49 · Messier 49
| Chinese name | M49 星系 |
|---|---|
| Type | Galaxy |
| Constellation | Vir |
| RA | 12h30m |
| Dec | +08° |
| Apparent magnitude | 8.4ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Both hemispheres |
| Best season | Spring |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Focal length | 长焦 1000mm+ |
About
M49 (NGC 4472) lies about 56 million light-years away and is the brightest member of the Virgo Cluster, a giant elliptical and one of the cluster's dominant galaxies. Remarkably massive, it hosts roughly 6,000 globular clusters, far more than the Milky Way. Though it appears as a smooth, featureless golden glow, it is extremely bright and large, and was the first elliptical galaxy Messier cataloged, in 1771. A dwarf galaxy being tidally disrupted lies beside it, and a supermassive black hole lurks at its core. M49 often serves as an anchor for tours of the Virgo Cluster, surrounded by many smaller galaxies, making it a landmark long-focal deep-sky target in spring.