archive / atlas record
M87*
The black hole behind the first horizon-scale image.
- classification
- Supermassive black hole
- system
- Messier 87
M87* powers a relativistic jet and was resolved at event-horizon scales through a global network of radio telescopes.
- Class
- Supermassive black hole
- Location / system
- Messier 87
- Distance
- About 54 million light-years from Earth
Only values with an established scientific consensus are listed. Where a quantity is uncertain or model-dependent, it is discussed in the sections below rather than stated as data.
Overview (starter entry, expanded review pending)
M87* powers a relativistic jet and was resolved at event-horizon scales through a global network of radio telescopes.
Gravity and high-energy observation
M87* is inferred from the motion and radiation of surrounding matter, supplemented by horizon-scale radio interferometry. Mass estimates are model-dependent rather than direct pictures of an interior.
- What remains least constrained about M87*?Composition, internal structure, formation history or local environment can require different observations and may remain model-dependent.
Items above are unresolved. Hypotheses are labelled as such and are not presented as confirmed findings.
NASA/IPAC // verified 28 September 2026
CDS Strasbourg // verified 28 September 2026