M87 (Virgo A)

M87 (Virgo A) — galaxy, explore its interactive 3D model in Cosmoscope.

Explore M87 (Virgo A) in an interactive 3D view of space. See its catalogue position, distance and astronomical facts.

The monster at the heart of the Virgo Cluster — a giant elliptical swarming with trillions of stars and 12,000 globular clusters, firing a 5,000-light-year jet from the first black hole humanity ever imaged.

Type

Giant elliptical (E0/cD)

Distance

53 million light-years

Core

A 6.5-billion-solar-mass black hole

Famous for

First black hole ever photographed (2019)

Explore M87 (Virgo A) in 3D

M87 (Virgo A) is placed in three-dimensional space using catalogue coordinates and an adopted astronomical distance. Rotate and zoom to explore the model. Stellar surfaces, gas structure and dust depths may be reconstructed or illustrative, as described in its facts; this is not live imagery from a telescope.