M58

barred spiral galaxy · Virgo Cluster

63.6 million light-years from Earth

One of the brightest barred spirals in the Virgo Cluster, found by Messier in 1779 while he followed a comet. It has lost most of the hydrogen from its outer disc, probably stripped by the cluster's hot gas, so few new stars form there now. Two supernovae have been seen in it, in 1988 and 1989.

• about 64 million light-years · about 93,000 light-years across
• its distance is uncertain: other methods give 52 to 68 million

kind

galaxy

catalogue

M58 · NGC 4579

size

93,000 light-years across