One of These Things is Just Like the Other

Hard to believe on first glance that today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is showing two of the same thing. Yes, that almost star-like object is a galaxy (Messier Object 60), as is the more obvious spiral to the side (NGC 4647). Ellipticals are odd ducks, many of the so-called Arp objects, catalogued by astronomer Halton Arp as sites of interesting goings on.

Beyond that, take a look at the image. How many other galaxies can you spot? The constellation of Virgo is an absolute swarm of galaxies and a great "hunting ground" for amateur astronomers.