Messier 99
Grand design
spiral galaxy Messier 99
looks majestic on a truly cosmic scale.
This recently processed
full galaxy portrait
stretches over 70,000 light-years across M99.
The sharp view is a combination of ultraviolet, visible,
and infrared image data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
About 50 million light-years distant toward the well-groomed
constellation Coma Bernices, the face-on spiral is a
member of the nearby
Virgo Galaxy Cluster.
Also cataloged as NGC 4254, a
close encounter
with another Virgo cluster member has likely
influenced the shape of its well-defined, blue spiral arms.