Type

Stellar mass

Location

in the constellation Aquila

Distance

8,100 light-years (2500 parsecs)

Mass

14 times the mass of the Sun

Size

Diameter roughly 50 miles (85 km) equal to the size of a large city

Discovery Methods

• Detection of a jet
• Detection of an accretion disk
• Measuring the motions of a companion star

An image that combines visible, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths shows the environment around GRS 1915+105. The systems itself is a small purple dot at the center of the image. [NASA]

This document was last modified: June 10, 2011.