Black hole
Centaurus A*
The nearest active galactic nucleus; giant radio jets
A 55-million-solar-mass active black hole hidden in the dusty centre of Centaurus A. The jets it fires in both directions form radio lobes 20 times the width of the Moon on the sky; in 2021 the EHT imaged the base of the jet on black-hole scales.
| Mass | 55 million solar masses |
|---|---|
| Event horizon radius | 1.09 AU: 0.036 times Neptune's orbit |
| Time for light to circle the event horizon once | 57 minutes |
| Mass | 5,5 × 10⁷ M☉ |
| Distance | 3.8 Mpc |
| Jet | ~1 Mpc radio lobes |
| Status | Active (radio galaxy) |
| Discovery | 1949 (radyo kaynağı) |
The event horizon is the boundary where the escape velocity equals the speed of light: nothing inside, not even light, can get out. Its radius grows in direct proportion to the mass (the Schwarzschild radius, for a non-rotating black hole).