M87

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the giant galaxy M87 shows a 3,000-light-year-long jet of plasma blasting from the galaxy's 6.5-billion-solar-mass central black hole. The blowtorch-like jet seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. These novae are not caught inside the jet, but are apparently in a dangerous neighbourhood nearby. During a recent 9-month survey, astronomers using Hubble found twice as many of these novae going off near the jet as elsewhere in the galaxy. The galaxy is the home of several trillion stars and thousands of star-like globular star clusters.

[Image description: A Hubble photo of galaxy M87, which resembles a translucent, fuzzy white cotton ball. The brightness decreases gradually out in all directions from a bright white point of light at the centre. A wavy blue-white jet of material extends from the point-like core outward to the upper right, about halfway across the galaxy. Stars speckle the background.]

Credit:

NASA, ESA, A. Lessing (Stanford University), E. Baltz (Stanford University), M. Shara (AMNH), J. DePasquale (STScI)

About the Image

Id:heic2411b
Type:Observation
Release date:26 September 2024, 16:00
Related releases:heic2411
Size:2355 x 1885 px

About the Object

Name:M87
Distance:53 million light years
Constellation:Virgo
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
1.3 MB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
217.0 KB

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r.title1024x768
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r.title1280x1024
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r.title1600x1200
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r.title1920x1200
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r.title2048x1536
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Coordinates

Position (RA):12 30 49.26
Position (Dec):12° 23' 28.06"
Field of view:1.55 x 1.24 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.1° left of vertical


Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
UV
275 nm Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3
Optical
V
606 nm Hubble Space Telescope
WFC3
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