M60
NGC 4649
Elliptical
Properties
Position & Identifiers
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About M60
Description
M60 is one of the largest giant elliptical galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, about 55 million light-years from Earth. It spans roughly 120,000 light-years and contains about 400 billion stars. M60 harbors one of the most massive black holes measured in any galaxy — estimated at 4.5 billion solar masses, over 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way's central black hole.
Observing Tips
Located at the eastern edge of the main Virgo Cluster chain, forming a close pair with NGC 4647 (a spiral galaxy just 2.5 arcminutes away). A telescope shows a bright, round glow with a brilliant core. NGC 4647 appears as a faint smudge adjacent to M60, and the pair is a rewarding sight in 8-inch or larger telescopes. Best observed from March through June.
History
Discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler on April 11, 1779. Charles Messier cataloged it on April 15, 1779. The galaxy has hosted two supernovae: SN 2004W and the unusual Type Ia SN 2005Q.
Fun Facts
M60's central black hole (4.5 billion solar masses) is one of the most massive known. The galaxy also hosts a remarkable ultra-compact dwarf galaxy (M60-UCD1) orbiting it, which itself contains a 21-million-solar-mass black hole — the densest galaxy known, packing 200 million solar masses into a region only 160 light-years across.
Community Photos (1)
Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, and J. Strader (Michigan State University). License: Public domain. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Feb 28, 2026