M60 and its neighbor NGC 4649, from the University of Alabama.

This image was obtained by Bill Keel and Ray White III of the university of Alabama. It is a color-composite view from exposures in B (blue) and I (near-infrared) filters with a Tektronix 800x800 CCD at the 2.1-meter telescope of Kitt Peak National Observatory. North is at the top and east to the left, the field of view is 2.5 arcminutes square.

There are no apparent absorption features superimposed from the spiral NGC 4647 over the giant elliptical M60. Therefore, it seems that it lies in the background beyond M60. Numerous globular clusters are apparent in the elliptical and show up as the faint starlike objects around it, especially toward the spiral where the extra light gives their visibility a boost. The very different textures of spiral and elliptical systems are emphasized by the blue filter. Note the young star clusters throughout the loose arms of NGC 4647.

Amateur images of M60

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Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: June 27, 1999