| Observation data | |
| Type | E1 |
| Right ascension (RA, α) | 12 h 30.8 m (J2000,00) |
| Declination (Dec, δ) | +12° 24' (J2000,00) |
| 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: