Messier 88 (NGC 4501)
J2000 coordinates, Tully-Fisher distance (54.1 Mly), magnitude 9.60, multi-arm SA(rs)b spiral, ICM compression edge, and observing guide for Messier 88.
Provenance-Backed Scientific Measurements
Every measurement below preserves its unit, uncertainty interval, observational method, reference epoch, quality status, and primary catalog source. See Uncertainty & Provenance for how competing measurements are handled.
| Parameter | Value | Uncertainty | Method & Epoch | Quality Status | Source Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated visual magnitude (V) | 9.6 mag | ± 0.1 mag | Integrated CCD aperture photometry | definitive | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
| Distance in light-years | 54100000 ly | ± 3500000 ly | Multi-band Tully-Fisher relation & Type Ia SN 1999cl standardization (16.6 ± 1.1 Mpc) | high-confidence | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
| Apparent major axis | 6.9 arcmin | ± 0.3 arcmin | Optical isophotal dimensions (6.9′ × 3.7′) | definitive | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
| Heliocentric recession velocity | 2281 km/s | ± 3 km/s | H I 21-cm rotation curve (maximum rotational speed 242 km/s) | definitive | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
J2000 Equatorial Sky Chart & Culmination Altitude
The chart below plots Messier 88 (NGC 4501 Symmetrical Spiral) at RA 12h 31m 59.16s, Dec +14° 25′ 13.2″ within Coma Berenices, alongside peak meridian transit altitudes for 40°N and 30°S observers. Use the RA/Dec Coordinate Converter to compute exact culmination altitude for your latitude.
Astrophysical Context & Structure
Discovered by Charles Messier on March 18, 1781, Messier 88 (NGC 4501) is one of the brightest and most symmetrical multi-arm SA(rs)b spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, lying 54.1 million light-years away just inside the southern border of Coma Berenices. Tilted at 64 degrees to our line of sight (an inclination very similar to the Andromeda Galaxy), M88 spans ~108,000 light-years across and rotates with a maximum circular velocity of 242 km/s around a central supermassive black hole of ~80 million solar masses that powers a low-luminosity Seyfert 2 nucleus.
Although M88 resides near the physical distance of the Virgo Cluster core, its heliocentric radial velocity is an unusually high +2,281 km/s—meaning M88 is diving into the Virgo Cluster from the foreground on a steep radial orbit that will carry it past central Messier 87 in roughly 200 to 300 million years.
Very Large Array 21-centimeter H I maps and polarized radio-continuum observations vividly capture M88's active collision with the Virgo intracluster medium: along M88's southwestern leading edge, ram pressure compresses the magnetic field and interstellar gas into a sharp, high-surface-brightness ridge of star formation, while stripping atomic hydrogen from the trailing northeastern side. In May 1999 the dust-reddened Type Ia supernova SN 1999cl erupted in M88, peaking at magnitude 13.4.
Practical Visual Observing Guide
- Located 2° north-northeast of M87 and 0.8° west-southwest of the barred spiral M91 in southern Coma Berenices.
- Because of its 64° tilt and high surface brightness, M88 is one of the most rewarding Virgo spirals in a 100–150 mm telescope, showing a crisp 7′ × 3.5′ oval elongated northwest-southeast (PA 140°).
- In a 250–300 mm telescope at 130×–180×, notice the sharper southwestern rim (the ram-pressure compression edge) and a neat 12th-magnitude double star sitting just off its southeastern tip.
Catalog Cross-Identifications & Aliases
Common Aliases: M88 · NGC 4501 · UGC 7675 · PGC 41517
| Catalog Authority | Identifier |
|---|---|
| MESSIER | M 88 |
| NGC | NGC 4501 |
| SIMBAD | M 88 |
| WIKIDATA | Q14042 |
Related Objects, Comparisons & Guides
Messier 87 (Virgo A Giant Elliptical Galaxy)
Coordinates, distance (16.4 Mpc / 53.5 Mly), EHT 6.5-billion M☉ black hole M87*, relativistic jet, and observing guide for Messier 87.
Messier 84 (NGC 4374 Markarian Chain Core)
J2000 coordinates, SBF distance (54.8 Mly), magnitude 9.10, western Markarian's Chain anchor, twin radio jets, and observing guide for Messier 84.
Messier 90 (NGC 4569 Ram-Stripped Spiral)
J2000 coordinates, distance (53.8 Mly), magnitude 9.52, −235 km/s blueshift, truncated H II disk, IC 3583 companion, and observing guide for Messier 90.
Proper Motion, Radial Velocity & Redshift
How astronomers combine tangential proper motion (mas/yr), Doppler radial velocity (km/s), and cosmological redshift (z) to reconstruct 3D space motion.
Surface Brightness & Extended Objects Guide
Why surface brightness (mag/arcsec²) governs nebula and galaxy visibility more than integrated magnitude, and how exit pupil controls eyepiece contrast.
Scientific Sources & Dataset Provenance
- Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) (2024/2026 edition): Steinicke, W. 2010, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters (Cambridge Univ. Press); Verga, M. OpenNGC (CC-BY-SA 4.0 / data tables) — Wolfgang Steinicke / OpenNGC
- SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (2026-10 release): Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg