Hubble image archive
J2150-0551
Hubble Locates Intermediate-Mass Black HoleThis Hubble Space Telescope image identified the location of an intermediate-mass black hole, weighing over 50,000 times the mass of our Sun (making it much smaller than supermassive black holes found in the centers of galaxies). The bla...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2020
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2020-19-4642-image
Hubble Locates Intermediate-Mass Black Hole
This Hubble Space Telescope image identified the location of an intermediate-mass black hole, weighing over 50,000 times the mass of our Sun (making it much smaller than supermassive black holes found in the centers of galaxies). The black hole, named 3XMM J215022.4−055108, is indicated by the white circle. The elusive type of black hole was first identified in a burst of telltale X-rays emitted by hot gas from a star as it was captured and destroyed by the black hole. Hubble was needed to pinpoint the black hole's location in visible light. Hubble's deep, high-resolution imaging shows that the black hole resides inside a dense cluster of stars that is far beyond our Milky Way galaxy. The star cluster is in the vicinity of the galaxy at the center of the image. Much smaller-looking background galaxies appear sprinkled around the image, including a face-on spiral just above the central foreground galaxy. This photo was taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and D. Lin (University of New Hampshire)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | J2150-0551 |
| Object Description | Intermediate Mass Black Hole |
| R.A. Position | 21:50:22.457 |
| Dec. Position | -05:51:09.163 |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Distance | About 800 million light-years |
| Dimensions | Image is about 40 arc seconds across (about 155,000 light-years) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from program (D. Lin) |
| Instrument | ACS/WFC |
| Exposure Dates | May 24, 2018 |
| Filters | F775W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the ACS/WFC instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. In this case, the monochromatic image is presented in grayscale. |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov