M98 is a small, dim galaxy located in the
constellation of Coma Berenices. It is a member of the Virgo
cluster of galaxies, which contains a total of 16 galaxies from
the Messier catalog. It is one of the most difficult galaxies in
the cluster to observe. Some astronomers believe that this could
actually be a foreground object and not actually a member of the
cluster, but there is no compelling evidence to support this
claim. It is located about 60 million light-years from Earth and
is approaching us at a rate of 1200 km/sec. M98 is a spiral
galaxy situated nearly edge-on to our line of sight. This gives
it an extremely elongated shape. It is best viewed with a large
telescope.
