RX J1242−11
Galaxy with super massive black hole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RX J1242.6−1119A (often abbreviated RX J1242−11) is an elliptical galaxy located approximately 200 megaparsecs (about 650 million light-years) from Earth. The name is derived from RX J1242.6-1119, the term for an X-ray source identified by ROSAT as a galaxy pair [KG99] A & B.
| RX J1242−11 | |
|---|---|
A Chandra X-ray Observatory image of RX J1242-11. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 42m 36.9s |
| Declination | −11° 19′ 35″ |
| Distance | 650 Mly (200 Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | c. +14 m |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | elliptical |
| Notable features | Pair of Galaxies = [KG99] A + [KG99] B. |
| Other designations | |
| RX J1242.6-1119A | |
References: 2MASS J12423854-1119207 | |
Supermassive black hole
According to current interpretations of X-ray observations made by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton, the center of this galaxy is a 100 million solar mass supermassive black hole which was observed to have tidally disrupted a star (in 1992 or shortly before).[1] The discovery is widely considered to be the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it.[2]
Location in the sky
The location of RX J1242.6-1119A, as seen from Earth, is less than one degree to the northeast of Messier 104, the Sombrero Galaxy.
