This image, captured with the MATISSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, shows the very inner region of the active galaxy Messier 77. Active galactic nuclei are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes. By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the active centre of this galaxy, a team of astronomers detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. The black dot shows the most probable position of the black hole, while the two ellipses show the extent, seen in projection, of the thick inner dust ring (dashed) and extended dust disc.
Credit:
ESO/Jaffe, Gámez-Rosas et al.
About the Image
| Id: | eso2203b |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 16 February 2022, 17:00 |
| Related releases: | eso2203 |
| Size: | 708 x 676 px |
About the Object
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 2 42 40.70 |
| Position (Dec): | 0° 0′ 47.71″ |
| Field of view: | 0.01 x 0.01 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is -0.0° left of vertical |
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https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2203b/
