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\nThis luminous orb is the galaxy NGC 4621, better known as Messier 59. As this latter moniker indicates, the galaxy was listed in the\u00a0famous catalogue of deep-sky objects\u00a0compiled by French\u00a0comet-hunter\u00a0Charles Messier\u00a0in 1779. However, German astronomer\u00a0Johann Gottfried Koehler\u00a0is credited with discovering the galaxy just days before Messier added it to his collection. \u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nModern observations show that Messier 59 is an\u00a0elliptical galaxy, one of the three main kinds of galaxies along with\u00a0spirals\u00a0and\u00a0irregulars. Ellipticals tend to be the most evolved of the trio, full of old, red stars and exhibiting little or no new\u00a0star formation. Messier 59, however, bucks this trend somewhat; the galaxy does show signs of star formation, with some newborn stars residing within a disc near the core.\n<\/p>\n
\nLocated in the 2000-strong\u00a0Virgo Cluster of galaxies\u00a0within the constellation of\u00a0Virgo (The Virgin), Messier 59 lies approximately 50 million light-years away from us. This image was taken by\u00a0the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope\u2019s\u00a0Advanced Camera for Surveys.\n<\/p>\n