Virgo Constellation: Gateway to Galaxy Clusters

If you want to see the large-scale structure of the universe with your own eyes, point your telescope at Virgo. This constellation contains the heart of the Virgo Cluster, a massive concentration of over 1,300 galaxies sitting roughly 54 million light-years away. On a dark spring night, you can sweep through field after field where galaxies outnumber stars in the eyepiece. It's one of the most humbling experiences in amateur astronomy.

Finding Virgo

Virgo is a large spring constellation, best observed from March through June. Its brightest star, Spica, is easy to find using the Big Dipper:

1. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle away from the bowl, "arc to Arcturus" (the bright orange star in Bootes).
2. Continue the arc past Arcturus and you'll reach Spica, "speed on to Spica." It's a blue-white star at magnitude +1.0.
3. Spica marks the base of Virgo. The rest of the constellation is a sprawling Y-shaped pattern of moderately faint stars stretching north and west.

The Virgo Cluster itself isn't at Spica, it's centered about 10-15 degrees north, in the region between Virgo and Coma Berenices. This is where the galaxy hunting begins.

Spica: A Stellar Powerhouse

Before we dive into galaxies, Spica deserves attention. It's a spectroscopic binary, two stars orbiting each other so closely (period: 4 days) that they can't be resolved in any telescope. The primary is a blue giant about 12,100 times more luminous than the Sun, and the pair's combined light makes Spica the 15th brightest star in the sky.

Spica's blue-white color makes a striking visual contrast with orange Arcturus higher in the sky. Together, they're one of the best star-color comparison pairs visible on spring evenings.

The Virgo Cluster: Galaxy Hunting

The Virgo Cluster region contains at least 16 Messier galaxies (M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M85, M86, M87, M88, M89, M90, M91, M98, M99, M100) plus dozens of bright NGC galaxies. In an 8-inch telescope under dark skies, you can observe 50+ galaxies in a single session without moving far.

The challenge is navigation. The galaxies are scattered across several degrees of sky, and many look similar, small, faint, oval smudges. A good star chart or goto mount is almost essential. Here are the highlights:

M87: The Giant Elliptical

The dominant galaxy of the Virgo Cluster is M87, a supergiant elliptical galaxy containing several trillion stars. It's famous for the relativistic jet shooting from its central supermassive black hole, the same black hole imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019. In amateur telescopes, M87 appears as a bright, round, featureless glow. The jet is technically visible in 12-inch+ telescopes under excellent conditions, but it's an extremely challenging observation.

Markarian's Chain

One of the most photogenic arrangements in the cluster is Markarian's Chain, a string of galaxies that appears to arc across the sky in a graceful curve. The chain includes M84, M86, NGC 4435, NGC 4438 (the "Eyes" pair), NGC 4461, and several fainter members. In a wide-field telescope at low magnification, you can fit several chain members in a single eyepiece field. It's a favorite astrophotography target.

M104: The Sombrero Galaxy

Technically on the southern edge of the Virgo Cluster (and possibly a foreground object), the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is one of the most visually striking galaxies in the sky. Its distinctive dark dust lane cutting across a bright bulge is visible in 6-inch and larger telescopes. It's about 10 degrees south of the main cluster, near the Virgo-Corvus border.

Photographing the Virgo Cluster

The Virgo Cluster region is excellent for astrophotography, especially wide-field compositions:

• Markarian's Chain: A 300-500mm focal length frames the chain beautifully with surrounding galaxy context.
• M87 + jet: Long focal lengths (1500mm+) and deep exposures can capture the relativistic jet. Narrowband data doesn't help here, galaxies are broadband objects.
• M104 (Sombrero): Needs 800mm+ to show the dust lane well. A highly rewarding target in broadband RGB.
• Cluster mosaic: An ambitious project: tile multiple frames to capture the entire cluster region in a single composite image.

For imaging fundamentals, see our astrophotography beginner's guide.

Other Targets in Virgo

• 3C 273: The brightest quasar in the sky at magnitude +12.9. It's about 2.4 billion light-years away, the most distant object visible in amateur telescopes. It looks like an ordinary faint star, but knowing its true nature makes the observation remarkable.
• NGC 4565 (Needle Galaxy): Technically in Coma Berenices but in the same region. A beautiful edge-on spiral galaxy with a prominent dust lane. One of the finest edge-on galaxies in the sky.
• Porrima (Gamma Virginis): A beautiful double star whose two nearly identical components are currently about 3 arcseconds apart, resolvable in a 4-inch telescope at 150x.

Best Time to Observe

The Virgo Cluster is highest in the evening sky from March through June. April and May are peak months, the cluster transits near midnight and is well-placed all evening long. By July, it's sinking into the western sky after sunset. Plan your galaxy marathon for spring.

For help planning tonight's observing session, check what's visible tonight.