Giant elliptical galaxy M87
with globulars and companion galaxies
Many of the thousands of globular clusters surrounding the giant elliptical
galaxy M87 were captured in this beautiful color photograph taken with the
Anglo Australian Telescope.
David Malin's information on this image
M87's orange-yellow stars
Besides many of the globulars in the impressive globular cluster system of
giant M87, which can be traced here also to a smaller distance from the galaxy's
center, this image clearly shows the smoothness and regularity of the main
stellar population in this elliptical galaxy, a typical phenomenon for galaxies
of that type (as well as for the bulges of disk galaxies). The orange-yellowish
color of the dominating old stellar population is evident. As in the image above,
the peculiar jet is overexposed in this image. Two small companion galaxies are
clearly visible in both images at the lower right of M87; the upper image
(AAT 53) reveals even more which appear starlike in AAT 60.
David Malin's information on this image
Enhanced version of this image
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CD-ROM, please contact the
Photo Permissions Department (photo at aaoepp.aao.gov.au)
of the Anglo Australian Observatory.
Old style AAT images of M87
Deep photographs of M87 from the AAT by David Malin
More images by David Malin
Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: 24 Jun 1999