Messier 87 (Virgo A / NGC 4486)
Coordinates, distance (16.4 Mpc / 53.5 Mly), EHT 6.5-billion M☉ black hole M87*, relativistic jet, and observing guide for Messier 87.
Provenance-Backed Scientific Measurements
Every measurement below preserves its unit, uncertainty interval, observational method, reference epoch, quality status, and primary catalog source. See Uncertainty & Provenance for how competing measurements are handled.
| Parameter | Value | Uncertainty | Method & Epoch | Quality Status | Source Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated visual magnitude (V) | 8.6 mag | ± 0.1 mag | Integrated CCD aperture photometry | definitive | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
| Extragalactic distance | 16400000 pc | ± 500000 pc | Surface-brightness fluctuations (SBF) & TRGB (16.4 ± 0.5 Mpc / 53.5 Mly) | definitive | Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Horizon-Scale Results |
| Central black hole mass (M87*) | 6500000000 M☉ | ± 900000000 M☉ | Event Horizon Telescope 1.3-mm VLBI photon-ring diameter (42 ± 3 μas) | definitive | Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Horizon-Scale Results |
| Heliocentric recession velocity | 1284 km/s | ± 5 km/s | Optical stellar absorption spectroscopy (z = 0.00428) | definitive | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
J2000 Equatorial Sky Chart & Culmination Altitude
The chart below plots Messier 87 (Virgo A Giant Elliptical Galaxy) at RA 12h 30m 49.42s, Dec +12° 23′ 28.0″ within Virgo, alongside peak meridian transit altitudes for 40°N and 30°S observers. Use the RA/Dec Coordinate Converter to compute exact culmination altitude for your latitude.
Astrophysical Context & Structure
Messier 87 (Virgo A, NGC 4486) is the colossal central cD supergiant elliptical galaxy dominating the dynamical heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, situated 16.4 ± 0.5 megaparsecs (53.5 million light-years) from Earth. Assembled over billions of years through hierarchical mergers of smaller galaxies, M87 has a total mass inside its outer halo exceeding 2.4 trillion solar masses and is surrounded by an extraordinary swarm of roughly 12,000 to 15,000 globular clusters—compared to only ~150–200 globular clusters around our Milky Way.
On April 10, 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration unveiled the first direct image of a black hole in human history by linking millimeter-wavelength radio telescopes across the globe to resolve M87*, the supermassive black hole at M87's core. Weighing 6.5 ± 0.9 billion solar masses (with a Schwarzschild event horizon ~38 billion kilometers across—three times the diameter of Pluto's orbit), M87* casts a 42-microarcsecond dark shadow surrounded by an asymmetric ring of relativistic synchrotron plasma.
Powered by the black hole's spin and magnetic fields (the Blandford-Znajek mechanism), M87* launches a collimated relativistic plasma jet discovered optically by Heber Curtis at Lick Observatory in 1918—a blue synchrotron beam extending 1,500 parsecs (~4,900 light-years) from the nucleus at position angle 290°.
Practical Visual Observing Guide
- Located midway between Denebola (β Leonis) and Vindemiatrix (ε Virginis) at the southeastern anchor of Markarian's Chain in the Virgo Cluster.
- At magnitude 8.6 with a bright, concentrated core, M87 is one of the easiest Virgo galaxies to spot in a 60–100 mm telescope at 50×–100×, appearing as a round, bright, slightly oval ball with a stellar-like nucleus.
- Visual detection of M87's 20-arcsecond optical relativistic jet (integrated mag ~15.0) is a famous bucket-list challenge for experienced observers using 450–600 mm (18–24 inch) apertures at 350×–500× under sub-arcsecond seeing.
Catalog Cross-Identifications & Aliases
Common Aliases: M87 · Virgo A · NGC 4486 · 3C 274 · M87*
| Catalog Authority | Identifier |
|---|---|
| MESSIER | M 87 |
| NGC | NGC 4486 |
| SIMBAD | M 87 |
| WIKIDATA | Q14041 |
Related Objects, Comparisons & Guides
Sagittarius A* (Galactic Center Black Hole)
Coordinates, GRAVITY S2 stellar orbit distance (8,277 pc) & mass (4.297 × 10^6 M☉), EHT 51.8 μas shadow, and Galactic Center guide for Sgr A*.
Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104 / NGC 4594)
Coordinates, TRGB distance (9.55 Mpc / 31.1 Mly), edge-on dust lane, 1-billion-M☉ central black hole, and observing guide for M104.
3C 273 (Brightest Quasar in Virgo)
Coordinates, redshift z = 0.1583 (~2.4 billion ly), magnitude 12.85, supermassive black hole accretion, and observing guide for quasar 3C 273.
Spica (Alpha Virginis Ellipsoidal Binary)
Coordinates, Hipparcos distance (250 ly), 4.01-day close B-star binary, precession discovery history, and observing guide for Spica.
Sagittarius A* vs M87* Black Hole Comparison
Compare the Event Horizon Telescope supermassive black holes Sagittarius A* (Milky Way) and M87* (Virgo Cluster) in mass, distance, and shadow size.
Spring Galaxy Season: Ursa Major to Virgo
Spring galaxy observing guide from Ursa Major (M81, M82, Whirlpool M51) across Coma/Virgo to giant elliptical M87, the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), and 3C 273.
Small-Telescope Messier Objects Tour (80–150mm)
Curated seasonal tour of flagship Messier clusters, nebulae, and galaxies optimized for 80 mm to 150 mm (3-inch to 6-inch) refractors and reflectors.
Measurement Uncertainty & Optics in Astronomy
How random vs systematic errors, asymmetric error bars, model dependencies, and optical aperture/exit-pupil limits shape astronomical measurements.
Apparent vs Absolute Magnitude Explained
Understand the logarithmic Pogson astronomical magnitude scale, apparent visual magnitude (m), absolute magnitude (M at 10 parsecs), and bolometric corrections.
Messier Catalog (M) Objects & Cross-Reference
Guide and cross-walk to Charles Messier's flagship deep-sky catalog (M1 to M104 in FastAstro), linking Messier numbers to NGC IDs, distances, and magnitudes.
NGC & Caldwell Deep-Sky Cross-Walk Catalog
Cross-reference guide to Dreyer's New General Catalogue (NGC) showpieces, including southern gems Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae, Carina Nebula, and the Veil.
Scientific Sources & Dataset Provenance
- Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Horizon-Scale Results (2019 ApJL 875 L1 & 2022 ApJL 930 L12): Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration 2019, ApJL, 875, L1; 2022, ApJL, 930, L12 — Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
- Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) (2024/2026 edition): Steinicke, W. 2010, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters (Cambridge Univ. Press); Verga, M. OpenNGC (CC-BY-SA 4.0 / data tables) — Wolfgang Steinicke / OpenNGC
- SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (2026-10 release): Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg