Virgo Cluster

Virgo Cluster

Virgo cluster, the closest large cluster of galaxies. The Virgo cluster is located at a distance of about 5 × 10⁷ light-years in the direction of the constellation Virgo. More than 2,000 galaxies reside in the Virgo cluster, scattered in various subclusters whose largest concentration (near the famous system M87 [Virgo A]) is about 5 × 10⁶ light-years in diameter. Of the galaxies in the Virgo cluster, 58 percent are spirals, 27 percent are ellipticals, and the rest are irregulars. Although spirals are more numerous, the four brightest galaxies are giant ellipticals, among them M87. Calibration of the absolute brightnesses of these giant ellipticals allows a leap to the measurement of distant regular clusters.