Sketch of Messier 89 (NGC 4552)
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Observation Notes:
Elliptical galaxy, Messier 89 was a simple visual object: small, circular, about 2 arc minutes in diameter with a stellar appearing core. A double star punctuated the view about 8 arc minutes to the northeast.
Sketch/DSS Photo Comparison of Messier 89 (NGC 4552)
Object Information:
M89 lies 50 to 65 million light years away in the Virgo Cluster. This featureless Elliptical (E0) galaxy is either a weak Seyfert Galaxy or LINER object with a billion solar mass black hole at its core. Deep imaging by David Malin with the UK Schmidt telescope has revealed a faint envelope around M89 that appears to the south and northwest. This structure is possibly the remnant of an interacting companion galaxy. M89 was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781, and is also cataloged as NGC 4552, UGC 7760, MCG+02-32-149, CGCG 070.184, h 1348, GC 3097, VCC 1632, PGC 41968.
| Subject | M89 (NGC 4552) |
| Classification | Elliptical Galaxy (E0) |
| Position* | Virgo [RA: 12:35:39.9 / Dec: +12:33:23] |
| Size* | 5.1′ x 4.7′ |
| Brightness* | 9.8 vMag; 10.7 bMag; 13.2 Surface Brightness |
| Date/Time | APR 27, 2009 – 01:10 AM (APR 27, 2009 – 08:10 UT) |
| Observing Loc. | Flagstaff, Arizona – Home |
| Instrument | Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian (203 mm dia./1200 mm F/L) |
| Eyepieces/Mag. | Pentax XW10 (120X) |
| Conditions | Clear, calm, porch lights |
| Seeing | 5/10 |
| Transparency | Mag 5.5 NELM |
| *Sources | SEDS; NGC/IC Project; DSS; Starry Night Pro Plus 5; Atlas of the Messier Objects – Ronald Stoyan |
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