Messier 49 — Galaxy in Virgo

M49 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, located about 55.9 million light-years from Earth. It was the first member of the Virgo Cluster to be discovered and is the brightest galaxy in the entire cluster. At magnitude 8.4, it is brighter than the more famous M87 (the Virgo Cluster's central giant). M49 is classified as type E2, appearing slightly elongated. It contains an estimated 5,900 globular clusters — far more than the Milky Way's roughly 150. The galaxy spans about 157,000 light-years in diameter and has a mass of about 500 billion solar masses. It hosts a supermassive black hole of approximately 565 million solar masses at its center.

Located about 4.2 degrees south of the midpoint between Epsilon Virginis (Vindemiatrix) and Beta Leonis (Denebola), in the southern reaches of the Virgo Cluster. In binoculars it appears as a small, round fuzzy spot. A 4-inch telescope shows a bright, featureless oval glow with a brighter core. Larger telescopes show a more extended halo but little additional detail — elliptical galaxies lack the spiral arms and dust lanes that make other galaxies more visually interesting. Look for the small companion galaxy NGC 4472A nearby. Best observed from March through June.

Discovered by Charles Messier on February 19, 1771 — the first galaxy in the Virgo Cluster to be found, predating the discovery of M87 by nearly a decade. William Herschel later observed it and included it in his catalog. In April 2020, astronomers detected a tidal disruption event in M49 — a star being torn apart by the galaxy's supermassive black hole.