Messier 58 (M58)

One of the few barred spirals in Messier's catalogue, in the Virgo Cluster.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Its bar funnels gas toward a possible low-luminosity active nucleus.
• Messier found it in 1779, along with several neighbouring nebulae, during a comet hunt.
• Two supernovae have been recorded in it since 1988.

Specifications & Metrics

• GALAXY TYPE: Barred spiral (SBb)
• DISTANCE: ~62 million light-years