Galaxy
Messier 87
A supergiant elliptical galaxy in Virgo hosting a supermassive black hole and a relativistic jet.
- Type
- Galaxy
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Connections
- 6
- Type: Galaxy
- Domain: Scientific connections
Experience system V6
Galaxy morphology profile
A deep-sky composition that treats the object as a physical structure, not a decorative background image.
- 01
Observe
The page falls back to graph and source evidence when no cleared image is available.
- 02
Measure
Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.
- 03
Locate
Part of Messier Catalogue.
- 04
Connect
6 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.
- Object type
- Galaxy
- Graph relations
- 6
- Verified sources
- 1
- Image records
- 0
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Status
- Graph entity
Scientific map
Atlas context
- Part of
Messier Catalogue
- Located in
Virgo
- Related to
The First Image of a Black Hole
- Related to
The First Image of a Black Hole (M87*)
Original SVG diagram
Deep-sky morphology
- Object class
- Galaxy
- Catalog numbers
- Not recorded
- Image records
- 0
- Graph relations
- 6
Visual knowledge graph
Relationships, not isolated facts
This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.
- Associated withElliptical Galaxy
- Part ofMessier Catalogue
- Related toThe First Image of a Black Hole
- Related toThe First Image of a Black Hole (M87*)
- Associated withThe Virgo Cluster
- Located inVirgo
Continue the atlas
Curated next objects
Messier Catalogue
A catalogue of 110 deep-sky objects compiled by Charles Messier.
constellationVirgo
Virgo is the second-largest constellation and a zodiacal constellation, one of the 88 modern constellations.
historical discoveryThe First Image of a Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope, a global network of radio dishes including ALMA, produced the first image of a black hole's shadow — the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87.
scientific imageThe First Image of a Black Hole (M87*)
The first image of a black hole: the shadow of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy M87, released in 2019.
galaxy morphologyElliptical Galaxy
A smooth, featureless ellipsoid of mostly old stars, with little gas and little ongoing star formation. The largest ellipticals sit at the centres of galaxy clusters and are thought to be built by mergers.
cosmic structureThe Virgo Cluster
The nearest large galaxy cluster, over a thousand galaxies bound together and centred on the giant elliptical M87. Its gravity draws the Local Group toward it, and it anchors our corner of the local supercluster.
Data
Scientific data & provenance
Data & provenance
- Stable ID
galaxy:messier-87- Type
- Galaxy
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Relationships
- 6
- Graph version
- 1.0.0
Dataset membership
Open data
In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld
Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/galaxy:messier-87
Scientific quality
Substantial4 of 6 applicable dimensions complete, 1 partial
- Description
- Complete
- Source coverage
- Partial
- Relationship coverage
- Complete
- Review coverage
- Complete
- Citation coverage
- Complete
- Image coverage
- None
- Timeline coverage
- Not applicable
Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.
Provenance & sources
review 2026.1Asteria Scientific Review Process · verification: sourced · accurate
- High evidenceconfirmed
Messier 87 (M87) is a giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster whose central supermassive black hole was the first to be directly imaged, by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019.
Source: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
- First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole, The Astrophysical Journal Letters 875, L1 (2019)doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7
Reviewed by the internal Asteria Scientific Review Process — not an external institutional review. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.
Scientific citations
2Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.
- Peer-reviewed paperFirst M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration · The Astrophysical Journal Letters 875, L1 · 2019
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7
Cite (APA / BibTeX)
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (2019). First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole. The Astrophysical Journal Letters 875, L1. Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7 @misc{cite:eht-m87-2019, title = {First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole}, author = {Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration}, organization = {Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration}, howpublished = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters 875, L1}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7}, note = {First direct image of a black hole's shadow, in the galaxy M87.} } - Archive pageMessier 87 — NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
NASA/IPAC (Caltech)
Cite (APA / BibTeX)
NASA/IPAC (Caltech) (n.d.). Messier 87 — NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA/IPAC (Caltech). https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/ @misc{cite:ned-galaxy-messier-87, title = {Messier 87 — NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database}, organization = {NASA/IPAC (Caltech)}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/}, note = {Positions, redshift, and cross-identifications for Messier 87.} }
You might also explore
- GalaxyMessier 104 (Sombrero Galaxy)Linked through Messier Catalogue
- GalaxyMessier 49Linked through Messier Catalogue
- GalaxyMessier 58Linked through Messier Catalogue
- GalaxyMessier 59Linked through Messier Catalogue
- GalaxyMessier 60Linked through Messier Catalogue
- GalaxyMessier 61Linked through Messier Catalogue
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.