M100
NGC 4321
Type: Spiral Galaxy
Constellation: Coma Berenices
Magnitude: 10.5
Size: 7.0' x 6.0'
RA-Dec: 12h 23.0m - 15 50
Difficulty: C E=easy, T=tough, C=challenging
Description:
M100 is a face-on spiral galaxy, and one of the larger members of the Virgo Cluster.   Telescopically it is brighter than nearby M99, but its large surface area makes subtle details harder to detect.   Smaller instruments reveal a small but bright core surrounded by an oval halo.   A large amateur telescope with the help of dark skies might hint at the two prominent arms that are so beautifully captured in long exposure photographs.   The Hubble Space Telescope recently measured the distance to M100 using Cepheid variable stars, and used this distance measurement as one of the pieces of data in a new measurement of the age of the universe.   The results of this study indicate that the universe is about 14 billion years old.
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