Type

Stellar mass

Location

In M33, the Triangulum galaxy

Finder Chart

Distance

2.7 million light-years (0.84 megaparsecs)

Mass

About 15.7 times the mass of the Sun

Size

Diameter roughly 60 miles (95 km)

Discovery Methods

• Detection of an accretion disk
• Measuring the motions of a companion star

M33 X-7

An artist's concept shows M33 X-7 and its supergiant companion star. An accretion disk of hot gas encircles the black hole.

The Triangulum Galaxy, M33, forms a beautiful spiral in this image from Kitt Peak National Observatory. The galaxy is about 30,000 light-years in diameter. The bright red blobs are "nurseries"� where new stars are being born.

M33 X-7 casts a bright glow in this combined optical and X-ray image, compiled by Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

This document was last modified: January 24, 2011.