Quote from the Deep Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000:
Very bright center, smooth nebulosity.
 
Quote by Charles Messier (March 18th, 1781): “Nebula without star in Virgo. In the center it is pretty bright and surrounded with a slight nebulosity. The brightness and general appearance are similar to M-59 and M-60.”
 
M-84 is usually considered an elliptical system of type E1. However a number of unusual features of this galaxy have convinced many astronomers that it is actually a face-on lenticular galaxy. M-84 is a classical double lobed radio galaxy, with extensive jets of electrons spewing out of its center in opposite directions. It has a prominent skewed dust lane in its central region associated with ionized gas (see Hubble Space Telescope image & press release on this dust ring and indications of a central black hole). The orientation of the dust lane is perpendicular to that of the radio emission. M-84 has also been detected in infrared (dust) and has a single X-ray jet shooting out from its nucleus..

M-84 forms a close pair with M-86, making up the western portion of the "core" of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. With small to moderate sized telescopes these two galaxies can be seen in the same eyepiece field.

• M-84, NGC 4374
• Magnitude: 10.0
• Constellation: Virgo
• RA: 12h 25m 03.7s
• Dec: +12° 53' 15"  Epoch 2000
• Size (mins): 6.4' x 5.6'
• Classification: E1

                        Elliptical Galaxy

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George Normandin, KAS

June 1st, 2000