Alternate Names

NGC 4486, Virgo A

Type

Supermassive

Location

in the constellation Virgo

Finder Chart

Distance

50 million light-years (16.1 megaparsecs)

Mass

6.6 billion times the mass of the Sun

Size

Three times the diameter of Pluto's orbit around the Sun

Discovery Methods

• Measuring the motions of gas
• Measuring the motions of stars

1

A Hubble Space Telescope image shows a jet of superhot gas racing away from the nucleus of M87 at 99 percent of the speed of light. The jet spans several thousand light-years. [NASA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)]

This document was last modified: October 24, 2005.