Explanation:
Bright
lenticular
galaxy M86 is near center of this cosmic view,
at the heart of the
Virgo Galaxy
Cluster.
Other bright galaxies in the neighborhood
include M84
at the upper right,
edge-on spiral NGC4388 near the right edge,
a striking pair of interacting galaxies,
Markarian's Eyes,
in the lower left corner,
and edge-on spiral NGC 4402 at about 11 o'clock.
With well over a thousand members, the
Virgo Cluster is the
closest large
cluster of galaxies.
On average the cluster galaxies are measured to be about
50 million light-years away.
The entire
Virgo Cluster is difficult to appreciate
because it covers such a large area, spanning over 10 degrees
on the sky.
This cluster close-up
covers a region just under 1 degree wide or about 1.5 times the size
of the full moon.
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