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M59 and M60 are a paired set of elliptical galaxies in the Virgo cluster,
only 24' apart, and visible in the same telescopic field of view under low magnification.
In binoculars M59, M60 and M58 make a nice grouping, with M60 being the brightest.
M59 glows with a star like core and diffuse outer halo.
It is quite elongated, almost twice as long as it is wide.
M60 is brighter and appears as a round diffuse ball that brightens towards the center.
Of special interest is the small face-on spiral companion of M60, NGC 4647,
whose tiny glow adds to the aesthetic view.
M60 contains a likely black hole at its center,
which at 2 billion solar masses is one of the largest black holes known.
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