Space-Based Photo of M77 from NASA/CXC/MIT/UCSB/P.Ogle et al./STScI/A.Capetti et al

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Alternate Names

NGC 1068

Type

Supermassive

Location

in the constellation Cetus

Finder Chart

Distance

50 million to 60 million light-years (15-18 megaparsecs)

Mass

15 million times the mass of the Sun

Size

Slightly smaller than Mercury's orbit around the Sun

Discovery Methods

Measuring the motions of gas

Recent X-ray observations of NGC 1068 from Chandra X-Ray Observatory show the fast "wind" of gas streaming outwards from the galaxy's center, illuminated by the central engine. The wind is the bright glow that streams from the galaxy's core toward the upper left. [NASA/CXC/MIT/UCSB/P.Ogle et al./STScI/A.Capetti et al]

This document was last modified: February 1, 2006.