Messier 84 facts for kids
Messier 84 (also called NGC 4374) is a special type of galaxy found in the constellation of Virgo. It's known as a lenticular galaxy, which means it looks like a mix between a spiral galaxy (like our Milky Way) and an elliptical galaxy. Messier 84 is located right in the busy center of the Virgo Cluster, which is a huge group of many galaxies.
Scientists have studied Messier 84 using radio telescopes and the amazing Hubble Space Telescope. They found two powerful jets of material shooting out from the galaxy's middle. They also saw a flat disk of gas and stars spinning very fast at its core. These clues strongly suggest that there is a giant supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 84. This black hole is incredibly massive, weighing about 1.5 billion times more than our own Sun!
Discovery of Messier 84
Charles Messier was a famous French astronomer. He discovered Messier 84 in 1781. At that time, he was busy looking for "nebulous objects" in the night sky. These were fuzzy patches that looked like clouds but were actually distant galaxies or star clusters. Messier 84 was the 84th object he added to his special list, which is now called the Messier Catalogue.
Supernovae in Messier 84
A supernova is a huge explosion that happens when a star dies. It's one of the brightest events in space! Scientists have seen two supernovae happen in Messier 84. These were named SN 1957 and SN 1991bg.
There might have been a third supernova, called SN 1980I. However, scientists are not completely sure if it was part of Messier 84 or one of its nearby galaxy neighbors, NGC 4387 or M86.
Images for kids
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This map shows where Messier 84 is located in the night sky.
See also
In Spanish: Galaxia lenticular M84 para niños
