Messier 49

Messier 49 (also known as NGC 4472 ) is a 8.3 like bright elliptical galaxy with a surface area of 10.2 '× 8.3 ' in the constellation Virgo.

Messier 49 was the first galaxy of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, which has been found. She was discovered on February 19, 1771 by Charles Messier. M49 is also the brightest member of this cluster of galaxies, which is about 60 million light- years away. Just like the two galaxies M60 and M87, which are also members of this cluster, M49 is a giant elliptical galaxy, which has a bright compact core and a widely extended diffuse halo. In the Hubble sequence of galaxy of type E2 is given. It is the home galaxy of the southern subgroup bunch B of the Virgo Cluster.

The galaxy has a system of globular clusters, the far less in size with about 7000 members, however, than the globular cluster system of M87. As noted by the satellite XMM- Newton, sends one of the brightest of these globular clusters from strong X- rays. Scientists suspect that the source is a black hole in the center of the globular cluster.