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Observation data
Type	E1
Right ascension (RA, α) (J2000,00)	12 h 30.8 m
Declination (Dec, δ) (J2000,00)	+12° 24'
Distance from Earth	60 millions LY (18.4 Mpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)	+8.6m
Apparent dimension(s) (V)	7.0'
Physical characteristics
Mass (Sun=1)	> 1.0 × 1012
Diameter	120,000 light years
Color (B-V)
Absolute magnitude	-22m
Peculiarities	-Radio emission -jet from galaxy core -huge (13,000) globular cluster system
Other denominations	NGC 4486 Virgo A radio source Arp 152

M87 (NGC 4486) is a giant elliptical galaxy, dominating the Virgo cluster. It is one of the biggest known galaxies. Its relative closeness makes it a preferred target for studying the high-energy activities currently going on in its nucleus, suspected of holding a supermassive black hole. Astronomers believe that the black hole in this galaxy is approximately 3×10⁹ solar masses.

See also:

 Messier 87 (http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m087.html), SEDS Messier pages

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