New Discoveries in Black Hole Research: Asymmetrical Galaxies, Massive Jets, and Hot X-ray Observations.
Meticulous observations of the motion of stars around the central supermassive black hole in the M87 galaxy have revealed that it is highly asymmetrical, with a shape more like a potato than a symmetrical blob. The galaxy's shortest axis is about three-fourths the length of its long axis, while the intermediate axis is about seven-eighths that of the long axis. The black hole at the galaxy's core has a mass of 5.37 billion times that of the sun, which could help astrophysicists learn about its spin. The observations were made using the Keck Cosmic Web Imager, which allowed researchers to measure the spectra of stars in the center of the galaxy.