M87

giant elliptical galaxy at the heart of the Virgo Cluster

53.5 million light-years from Earth

One of the most massive galaxies nearby, swarming with some 12,000 globular clusters. From its core a jet of plasma shoots out at nearly the speed of light.

• 53.5 million light-years · about 2.4 trillion solar masses
• its black hole weighs 6.5 billion Suns

kind

galaxy

catalogue

M87 · NGC 4486

with it

the M87 jet · M87*