Hubble measures velocity of gas orbiting black hole
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found seemingly conclusive evidence for a massive black hole in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87, located 50 million light years away in the constellation Virgo. Earlier observations suggested the black hole was present, but were not decisive.
Credit:Holland Ford, Space Telescope Science Institute/Johns Hopkins University; Richard Harms, Applied Research Corp.; Zlatan Tsvetanov, Arthur Davidsen, and Gerard Kriss at Johns Hopkins; Ralph Bohlin and GeorgeHartig at Space Telescope Science Institute; Linda Dressel and Ajay K.Kochhar at Applied Research Corp. in Landover, Md.; and Bruce Margon fromthe University of Washington in Seattle NASA/ESA
About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | IRAS 12282+1240, M 87, Messier 87, NGC 4486, Virgo Galaxy |
| Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole |
| Distance: | 55 million light years |
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Category: | Cosmology Quasars and Black Holes |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 12 30 49.39 |
| Position (Dec): | 12° 23' 27.98" |
| Field of view: | 0.08 x 0.08 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 23.9° left of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical H-alpha + Nii | 658 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |