Heart of the Virgo cluster of galaxies

by: K.A. Lecky Hepburn/Novapix
Reference: a-amg02-00061
Date: 2009-10-23

M86 and M84 are two giant lenticular galaxies at the heart of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. NGC 4438, a spiral galaxy at the bottom left of the photo, appears to be distorted by an interaction with nearby NGC 4435. Located about 70 million light years away, the Virgo cluster is a gigantic collection of several thousand galaxies that dominate our local part of the universe.

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