Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Virgo (Vir)  ·  Contains:  M 60  ·  NGC 4647  ·  NGC 4649
M60 and NGC 4647, KuriousGeorge
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M60 and NGC 4647

M60 and NGC 4647, KuriousGeorge
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M60 and NGC 4647

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Description

Giant elliptical galaxy M60 and spiral galaxy NGC 4647 are found in a region of space where galaxies tend to gather, on the eastern side of the nearby Virgo Galaxy Cluster. About 54 million light-years distant, bright M60's simpler egg-like shape is created by its randomly swarming older stars, while NGC 4647's young blue stars, gas and dust are organized into winding arms rotating in a flattened disk. Spiral NGC 4647 is estimated to be more distant than M60, some 63 million light-years away. This pair of galaxies may be on the verge of a significant gravitational encounter. M60 is about 120,000 light-years across. The smaller NGC 4647 spans around 90,000 light-years, about the size of our own Milky Way.

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