M87: A giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo galaxy
cluster about 50 million light years from Earth.
Caption: Two Chandra observations of the giant
elliptical galaxy M87 were combined to make this long-exposure image. A
central jet is surrounded by nearby bright arcs and dark cavities in the
multimillion degree Celsius atmosphere of M87. Much further out, at a distance
of about fifty thousand light years from the galaxy's center, faint rings
can be seen and two spectacular plumes extend beyond the rings. These features,
which can be related to repetitive outbursts from the vicinity of the central
supermassive black hole, show that the central black hole has been affecting
the entire galaxy for a hundred million years or more. (The faint horizontal
streaks are instrumental artifacts that occur for bright sources.)
Scale: Image is 8.6 x 13.7 arcmin
Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image
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