Type

Supermassive

Location

In the constellation Virgo

Finder Chart

Distance

62 million light-years (19 megaparsecs)

Mass

8.5 million times the mass of the Sun

Size

Diameter about three-quarters of the distance from the Sun to Mercury

Discovery Methods

• Measuring the motions of gas

An artist's concept shows a thick 'torus' of dust surrounding a supermassive black hole. [ESA]

This document was last modified: August 29, 2011.