Galaxy · Elliptical
Virgo A (M87)
Virgo A (M87) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Virgo, 53.5 million light-years away. The giant of the Virgo Cluster; its 6.5-billion-solar-mass black hole was the first ever imaged.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 53.5 million light-years (16.40 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 130,500 light-years · 1.5 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.30 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 8.77 |
| Luminosity | 3.6 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 30m 49.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 23′ 28″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 8.77); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 78° S. North of latitude 78° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in March, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 53 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 948.9 billion years.