Close-up Look at a Jet near a Black Hole in Galaxy M87 (Hubble WFPC2 View)
A visible light image of the giant elliptical galaxy M 87, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in February 1998, reveals a brilliant jet of high-speed electrons emitted from the nucleus (diagonal line across image). The jet is produced by a 3-billion-solar-mass black hole.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | M 87, Messier 87, NGC 4486, Virgo Galaxy |
|---|---|
| Type: | Local Universe : Planet : Satellite Local Universe : Galaxy : Size : Giant Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole |
| Distance: | 55 million light years |
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Category: | Quasars and Black Holes |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 12 30 48.75 |
|---|---|
| Position (Dec): | 12° 23' 31.76" |
| Field of view: | 0.39 x 0.21 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is -0.0° left of vertical |
View in ESASky:
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Ultraviolet U | 300 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Optical B | 450 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Optical V | 606 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
| Infrared I | 814 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |