Messier 59 — Galaxy in Virgo

M59 (NGC 4621) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo, located approximately 60 million light-years from Earth as a member of the Virgo Cluster. It shines at magnitude 9.6 and spans about 5.4 by 3.7 arcminutes, corresponding to a true diameter of roughly 90,000 light-years. M59 is classified as type E5, meaning it is a notably elongated elliptical galaxy. It contains an estimated 2,200 globular clusters orbiting within its halo. The galaxy's central region harbors a supermassive black hole of approximately 270 million solar masses. Unusually for an elliptical galaxy, M59 has a counter-rotating stellar core — the stars in the inner region orbit in the opposite direction to those in the outer galaxy, suggesting a past merger event.

Located about 3 degrees east-northeast of the star Rho Virginis, M59 lies in the same telescope field as the larger and brighter M60, just 25 arcminutes to the east. In binoculars, M59 is a faint, tiny smudge that is easy to overlook. A 4-inch telescope at 100x shows a small, elongated glow with a brighter center. An 8-inch telescope reveals a smooth, featureless oval — typical of elliptical galaxies. The pairing with M60 (and its companion NGC 4647) in the same field makes for a nice visual grouping. Best observed from March through June when the Virgo Cluster is well placed.

Discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779, and independently found by Charles Messier on April 15 of the same year. Messier cataloged it alongside M58 and M60, which he discovered the same night. The galaxy's counter-rotating core was discovered in the 1980s through spectroscopic observations, providing evidence that even apparently smooth elliptical galaxies can have complex formation histories involving galactic mergers.