M90, NGC 4569

M90 is a large spiral galaxy of type Sb in the constellation Virgo. Although large, it seems to have a relatively small mass and thus be of low density. The nearby high surface brightness spiral, IC3583, is clearly visible to the north and seems a bit distorted, which led H.C.Arp to include this system in his Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. M90 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, which is the dominant cluster in our Local Supercluster and about 60 million light-years away. This CCD composite picture was taken in April 1998 at the Kitt Peak 0.9-meter telescope. The Virgo cluster also includes Messier galaxies M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M85, M86, M87, M88, M89, M91, M98, M99, and M100.