M58 (NGC 4579) is a bright barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster. Its nucleus has attracted attention as being one of the brightest LINER nuclei (see a spectrum comparison for details). In this case, the nuclear gas seems to be ionized by a junior version of the activity seen in Seyfert galaxies and quasars.
This blue-light image is a 5-minute blue-light exposure with a Tektronix 2048x2048 CCD at the 2.1-meter telescope of Kitt Peak National Observatory by Bill Keel and Lisa Frattare. North is at the top and east to the left, for direct comparison with a chart or eyepiece view. The image has been block-averaged by a factor of two for as shown above (click for the full-sized image), which uses a logarithmic intensity transformation to preserve information across a wide dynamic range. The field is 4.6 arcminutes square. .
Last changes: 7/2002 © 2002