Category: Black Hole
Location: Galaxy Messier 87 (NGC 4486)
Coordinates: 12 30 49.42 +12 23 28.04
Accepted distance: ~53,000,000 ly
Image credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Villanova University/J. Neilsen; Radio: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Observation wavelengths and instruments
Top image:
Radio – Event Horizon Telescope
Middle image:
X-rays – Chandra X-ray Observatory Wide Field and Close-up
Bottom image:
X-rays and Radio – Left: Chandra X-ray Observatory Close-up, Right: Event Horizon Telescope
Key misinterpreted observations
- The object is a supermassive black hole located in the center of galaxy M87
- The object has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun
- Jets of high-energy particles are launched by intense gravitational fields
Click here to learn about an alternative interpretation of the observations.