M100 is one of the brightest members of the
Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is located in the constellation of
Coma Berenices and is a beautiful example of a nearly face-on
spiral galaxy. Visually, this galaxy has two bright spiral arms
and several fainter arms. Color photographs reveal the young
blue stars in these spiral arms. The galaxy has a slightly
asymmetric shape, which may be the result of interaction with
neighboring galaxies. M100 can be located with a pair of
binoculars, although the best detail can be seen with a large
telescope.
