3D Model of Elliptical Galaxy M87 | Hubble

3D Model of Elliptical Galaxy M87 | Hubble

This is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of the huge elliptical galaxy M87. A grid is overlayed to trace out its three-dimensional shape. This was gleaned from meticulous observations made with the Hubble and Keck telescopes. Since the galaxy is too far away for astronomers to employ stereoscopic vision, they instead followed the motion of stars around the center of M87, like bees around a hive. This created a three-dimensional view of how stars are distributed within the galaxy.

The 120,000-light-year-diameter M87 galaxy lies at a distance of 54 million light-years from the Sun in the spring constellation Virgo.

Credit: NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
3D Model: Frank Summers (STScI)
Science: Chung-Pei Ma (UC Berkeley)
Duration: 36 seconds
Release Date: April 13, 2023

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