Arcturus
The Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way. With over a thousand known members, the cluster spans an area of the sky about 5 by 3 degrees in size. While some of the most prominent members can be seen in smaller instruments, a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160 galaxies in this region on a clear night.
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Messier 104 (M104), also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is a majestic unbarred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo.
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Messier 100 (M100) is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 55 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.1. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4321.
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Messier 98 (M98) is an intermediate spiral galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 11.0 and lies at an approximate distance of 44.4 million light years from Earth. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 4192.
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Messier 64 (M64), also known as the Black Eye Galaxy, Evil Eye Galaxy, or Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, is a famous spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Messier 64 has an apparent magnitude of 9.36 and lies at a distance of 24 million light years from Earth. The galaxy has the designation NGC 4826 in the New General Catalogue.
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Messier 53 (M53) is a globular star cluster located in the northern constellation Coma Berenices. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 8.33 and lies at an approximate distance of 58,000 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 5024 in the New General Catalogue.
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Messier 13 (M13), also known as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, is a globular cluster located in Hercules constellation. It is one of the brightest and best known globular clusters in the northern sky. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 5.8 and lies at a distance of 22,200 light years, or 6,800 parsecs, from Earth. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 6205.
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Messier 5 (M5) is a bright globular cluster located in the northern constellation Serpens. It lies at a distance of 24,500 light years from Earth, in the galactic halo of the Milky Way. It has the designation NGC 5904 in the New General Catalogue.
With an apparent magnitude of 6.65, Messier 5 can be seen without binoculars, but only under extremely dark skies and it only appears as a faint star near the star 5 Serpentis. Binoculars will reveal the object to not be a star, but a fuzzy patch of light, and small telescopes will show a bright glowing core.
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Messier 3 (M3) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. It is one of the brightest, largest globular clusters in the sky. M3 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2 and is approximately 33,900 light years distant from Earth. It has the designation NGC 5272 in the New General Catalogue.
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