Combination of 600 seconds unfiltered, 200 seconds red, 200 seconds green, and 200 seconds blue, using 20 second sub-exposures.
SBIG ST9-XE CCD. 16" f/10 schmidt-cassegrain telescope plus a 2x barlow.
| Object Type | Galaxy E1 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Magnitude | 8.6 |
| Size | 8.0' x 6.6' |
M87 is a giant eliptical galaxy in Virgo that is a member of the huge Virgo cluster of galaxies. Easily visible in almost any telescope, an 8" telescope shows the galaxy as a bright circular haze. One of the most interesting things about M87, is the jet of material being ejected from the black hole at the centre of the galaxy. This jet is a real challenge for visual observers with large telescopes. It is just visible towards the upper right of the centre of the galaxy.
The two objects to the lower right of M87 are more distant galaxies. The upper left one i s the 16th magnitude UGC 7652, while the other is the 17th magnitude PGC 41342.