Messier 74
Face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Messier 74 (also known as NGC 628 and Phantom Galaxy) is a large spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation Pisces.[lower-alpha 1] It is about 32 million light-years away from Earth.[6] The galaxy contains two clearly defined spiral arms and is therefore used as an archetypal example of a grand design spiral galaxy.[7] The galaxy's low surface brightness makes it the most difficult Messier object for amateur astronomers to observe.[8][9] Its relatively large angular (that is, apparent) size and the galaxy's face-on orientation make it an ideal object for professional astronomers who want to study spiral arm structure and spiral density waves. It is estimated that M74 hosts about 100 billion stars.[6]
Messier 74 | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Pisces[1] |
Right ascension | 01h 36m 41.8s[2] |
Declination | +15° 47′ 01″[2] |
Redshift | 657 km/s[2] |
Distance | 30 ± 6 Mly[3] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.4[4] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SA(s)c[2] |
Number of stars | 100 billion (1×1011) |
Size | 95,000 ly (diameter)[5] |
Apparent size (V) | 10′.5 × 9′.5[2] |
Other designations | |
NGC 628, UGC 1149, PGC 5974[2] |