Supermassive black holes
These are the black hole behemoths, weighing in at a few million to a few billion times the mass of the Sun. These black holes inhabit the cores of galaxies.
| Name | Distance | Mass | |
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3c273 Diameter roughly equal to the size of our solar system |
2 billion light-years away in the constellation Virgo | Roughly 1 billion solar masses |
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Arp 151 Diameter roughly 30 to 100 times the size of the Sun |
300 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 6.5 million to 20 million solar masses |
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IC 1459 Diameter roughly the size of the orbit of Jupiter to larger than the orbit of Neptune |
100 million light-years away in the constellation Grus | 350 million to 2.5 billion solar masses |
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M104 Diameter larger than the orbit of Saturn |
32 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 660 million solar masses |
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M105 Larger than Earth's orbit around the Sun, but smaller than Jupiter's orbit |
38 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 60 million to 200 million solar masses |
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M106 Greater than the distance from Earth to the Sun |
24 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici | 24 million to 38 million solar masses |
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M31 Diameter roughly equal to the orbit of Venus. |
2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda | 30 million solar masses |
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M32 Diameter about 10 million miles -- about 12 times the diameter of the Sun |
2.4 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda | 3 million solar masses |
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M51 Diameter of 4 million miles (6 million km), about four times the diameter of the Sun. |
27 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, beneath the Big Dipper | 1 million solar masses |
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M60 Diameter 45 billion miles (27 billion km), roughly eight times the diameter of Neptune's orbit around the Sun |
51 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 4.5 billion solar masses |
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M77 Slightly smaller than Mercury's orbit around the Sun |
50 million to 60 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus | 15 million solar masses |
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M81 Diameter roughly 30 million miles (45 million km), about 30 times the diameter of the Sun. |
12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 7 million solar masses |
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M84 Diameter roughly equal to the size of Neptune's orbit around the Sun, making it as big as our solar system. |
50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | Roughly 1.5 billion solar masses |
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M87 Three times the diameter of Pluto's orbit around the Sun |
50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 6.6 billion solar masses |
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Milky Way Diameter roughly 15 million miles (24 million km). |
27,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius | 4.1 million solar masses |
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NGC 1023 Roughly the size of Earth's orbit around the Sun |
33 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus | 40 million to 60 million solar masses |
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NGC 1194 Diameter larger than Earth's orbit around the Sun |
170 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus | 65 million solar masses |
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NGC 1277 Diameter more than 11 times the diameter of the orbit of Neptune, the most distant planet in our solar system |
220 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus | 17 billion solar masses |
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NGC 1365 Eight times the diameter of the Sun |
56 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax | 2 million solar masses |
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NGC 2273 Diameter roughly two-thirds as wide as Mercury's distance from the Sun |
85 million light-years away in the constellation Lynx | 7.5 million solar masses |
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NGC 2778 From smaller than Mercury's orbit to as large as Venus' orbit |
76 million light-years away in the constellation Lynx | 9 million to 36 million solar masses |
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NGC 2787 Diameter roughly equal to the size of Earth's orbit around the Sun |
24 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 36 million to 45 million solar masses |
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NGC 2960 Diameter equal to the distance from the Sun to Mercury |
230 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra | 11.5 million solar masses |
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NGC 3115 Diameter probably equivalent to the size of Uranus' orbit around the Sun |
32 million light-years away in the constellation Sextans | 400 million to 2 billion solar masses |
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NGC 3245 Diameter roughly equal to the diameter of Jupiter's orbit around the Sun |
68 million light-years away in the constellation Leo Minor | 160 to 260 million solar masses |
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NGC 3377 As small as Venus' orbit around the Sun to as large as the asteroid belt |
33 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 30 million to 120 million solar masses |
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NGC 3384 Diameter roughly the size of the orbit of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun |
38 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 16 million solar masses |
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NGC 3393 Diameter larger than the orbit of Mercury |
165 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra | 31 million solar masses |
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NGC 3516 Slightly larger than Mercury's orbit around the Sun |
120 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 23 million solar masses |
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NGC 3585 Diameter larger than the size of the orbit of Jupiter |
70 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra | 340 million solar masses |
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NGC 3607 Diameter larger than the size of the orbit of Mars |
65 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 125 million solar masses |
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NGC 3608 Diameter slightly less than the size of the orbit of Jupiter |
75 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 210 million solar masses |
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NGC 3783 About half the size of Mercury's orbit around the Sun |
130 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus | 8 million to 10 million solar masses |
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NGC 3842 Diameter roughly 6 times the size of the orbit of Neptune |
320 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 9.7 billion solar masses |
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NGC 3862 Unknown |
260 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | Unknown solar masses |
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NGC 3945 Diameter about one-half the size of the orbit of Mercury |
65 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 9 million solar masses |
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NGC 3998 Diameter roughly the diameter of Jupiter’s orbit to the diameter of Uranus’ orbit around the Sun |
45 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 270 million to 800 million solar masses |
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NGC 4026 Diameter the size of the outer edge of the asteroid belt |
50 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 210 million solar masses |
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NGC 4061 Diameter at least equal to the diameter of Neptune's orbit around the Sun |
325 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices | 1 billion to 9 billion solar masses |
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NGC 4151 Diameter equal to the size of the orbit of Saturn |
43 million light-years away in the constellation Leo | 45 million solar masses |
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NGC 4253 Diameter roughly the size of the orbit of Mercury |
170 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices | 20 million solar masses |
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NGC 4261 Diameter range from the size of Saturn's orbit around the Sun to the size of Neptune's orbit |
100 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 500 million to 1.2 billion solar masses |
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NGC 4335 Diameter roughly the size of the orbit of Mars |
215 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major | 100 million solar masses |
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NGC 4342 Diameter equal to the diameter of Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun |
75 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 300 million solar masses |
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NGC 4388 Diameter about three-quarters of the distance from the Sun to Mercury |
62 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 8.5 million solar masses |
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NGC 4473 Diameter roughly equal to the size of the asteroid belt in our own solar system. |
50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | Roughly 100 million solar masses |
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NGC 4486b Diameter roughly equal to the diameter of Saturn’s orbit around the Sun |
55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 500 million solar masses |
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NGC 4697 Diameter larger than the size of the asteroid belt. |
40 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | Roughly 175 million solar masses |
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NGC 4889 Diameter roughly 6 to 17 times the size of the orbit of Neptune |
335 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices | 9.8 billion to 27 billion solar masses |
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NGC 541 Unknown |
216 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus | Unknown solar masses |
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NGC 5576 Diameter roughly equal to the outer edge of the asteroid belt |
90 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 180 million solar masses |
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NGC 6240 Diameter roughly equal to the diameter of Uranus' or Neptune's orbit around the Sun |
320 million light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus | 870 million to 2 billion solar masses |
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NGC 7457 About 15 times the diameter of the Sun |
43 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus | 2.1 million to 4.6 million solar masses |
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NGC 821 Diameter from the size of Earth's orbit to the size of Mars' orbit around the Sun |
100 million light-years away in the constellation Aries | 50 million to 100 million solar masses |
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RX J1242-11 Greater than the size of the asteroid belt in our solar system |
700 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo | 100 million solar masses |
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SDSS J0927+2943 Roughly equal to the diameter of Saturn's orbit around the Sun |
6.5 billion light-years away in the constellation Leo | 600 million solar masses |
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ULAS J1120-0641 Larger than the diameter of Neptune's orbit around the Sun |
13 billion light-years away in the constellation Leo | 2 billion solar masses |

























































