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 radio-telescope image of the central light-year at the core of M87 shows the birth of its high-speed cosmic jets. The region close to the black hole produces the most radio energy, which is shown in red. [NRAO/AUI]

This document was last modified: October 24, 2005.