Caption: At the dynamical center of the nearby cluster of galaxies in Virgo lies Messier 87 (NGC 4486) at a distance of about 50 million light years. Although the boundaries of elliptical galaxies are not well-defined, by any standards M 87 is enormous. It is 20 times the size of an average galaxy like the Milky Way and 40 times as massive, containing several thousand billion stars. It is also a strong radio source. Associated with this giant galaxy are large numbers of globular clusters, visible in this photograph as the slightly fuzzy objects around it. Like all ellipticals, M 87 is composed mainly of old stars and is largely devoid of the materials needed to make new ones.
Copyright: (c) 1987 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin
