Comparison of the sizes of two black holes: M87* and Sagittarius A*
Size comparison of the two black holes imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration: M87*, at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87, and Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), at the centre of the Milky Way. The image shows the scale of Sgr A* in comparison with both M87* and other elements of the Solar System such as the orbits of Pluto and Mercury. Also displayed is the Sun’s diameter and the current location of the Voyager 1 space probe, the furthest spacecraft from Earth. M87*, which lies 55 million light-years away, is one of the largest black holes known. While Sgr A*, 27 000 light-years away, has a mass roughly four million times the Sun’s mass, M87* is more than 1000 times more massive. Because of their relative distances from Earth, both black holes appear the same size in the sky.
Credit:EHT collaboration (acknowledgment: Lia Medeiros, xkcd)
About the Image
Id: | eso2208-eht-mwe |
Type: | Collage |
Release date: | 12 May 2022, 15:07 |
Related releases: | eso2406, eso2208-eht-mw |
Size: | 3701 x 2163 px |
About the Object
Name: | Black hole |
Type: | Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole |
Category: | Quasars and Black Holes |
Wallpapers
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Millimeter | 1.3 mm | Event Horizon Telescope |