The Halo of Galaxy Messier 87 in Virgo | Burrell Schmidt Telescope

The Halo of Galaxy Messier 87 in Virgo | Burrell Schmidt Telescope

The huge halo around giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 appears on this very deep image. An excess of light in the top-right part of this halo, and the motion of planetary nebulae in the galaxy, are the last remaining signs of a medium-sized galaxy that recently collided with Messier 87. The image also reveals many other galaxies forming the Virgo Cluster, of which Messier 87 is the largest member. In particular, the two galaxies at the top right of the frame are nicknamed "the Eyes".

Note: The black circles visible are coverage gaps where we lacked image data.

The Case Western Reserve University’s Burrell Schmidt Telescope wide-field telescope, owned and operated by Case Astronomy, is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory. It is used for deep wide-field imaging and surveys and was installed on Kitt Peak in 1979.

Learn more about the Burrell Schmidt Telescope:

https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/burrell-schmidt-telescope/

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Chris Mihos (Case Western Reserve University)/ESO

Release Date: May 2, 2023

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Galaxies #Galaxy #M87 #Messier87 #EllipticalGalaxy #Virgo #Constellation #Cosmos #Universe #BurrellSchmidtTelescope #Optical #KPNO #NOIRLab #AURA #NSF #KittPeak #Arizona #UnitedStates #ESO #Europe #STEM #Education