Which galaxy was first identified as having a supermassive black hole at its core?
Quick Answer
Many nearby active galaxies were among the first suspected black-hole hosts, but M87 became one of the clearest cases through decades of study. Its central black hole was the first ever imaged in 2019.
The Full Story
M87 became one of the most important galaxies in black-hole history because its central supermassive black hole was the first to be imaged directly. The Event Horizon Telescope released the image in 2019, showing the shadow of a black hole with a mass of about 6.5 billion Suns. M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster and has a powerful jet produced by its active nucleus. This breakthrough helped confirm decades of theory about black holes and accretion disks.
Key Facts
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"The first black hole image came from a giant galaxy in Virgo."
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