Chandra Release - October 5, 2006

Visual Description: M87

A striking example of the power of supermassive black holes is shown in this composite image of the elliptical galaxy M87 in the Virgo Cluster. The galaxy has a pinkish-red hue in the X-ray image, while the optical image reveals the elliptical nature of the galaxy in blue and white, with white at the core. The structure in the X-ray image is like a large filamentary octopus swimming on its side in the blue sea, but with one very strange, very thin long arm jutting out towards 5 o’clock. The features in this image imply that outbursts and deep sounds have been generated by the black hole for eons. The black hole located in the center of M87 is one of the most massive in the universe. The huge reservoir of hot gas in this cluster is shown in the low energy X-ray image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The optical image is from the Digitized Sky Survey.