Compact core of galaxy M87
Astronomers report today that they have found intriguing evidence that a black hole weighing over 2.6 billion times the mass of the Sun exists at the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87, based upon images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The images show that stars become strongly concentrated towards the center of M87, as if drawn into the center and held there by the gravitational field of a massive black hole.
Credit:NASA & ESA
About the Image
About the Object
Name: | IRAS 12282+1240, M 87, Messier 87, NGC 4486, Virgo Galaxy |
Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Elliptical Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Giant Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core |
Distance: | 55 million light years |
Constellation: | Virgo |
Category: | Galaxies Quasars and Black Holes |
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 12 30 49.01 |
Position (Dec): | 12° 23' 30.91" |
Field of view: | 0.49 x 0.39 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 151.4° left of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Infrared I | 785 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC1 |