RX J1242−11 | |
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![]() 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] |
Characteristics | |
Type | elliptical |
Notable features | Pair of Galaxies = [KG99] A + [KG99] B. |
Other designations | |
RX J1242.6-1119A |
RX J1242.6−1119A (often abbreviated RX J1242−11) is an elliptical galaxy located approximately 200 megaparsecs (about 650 million light-years) from Earth. 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]
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.
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] |
Characteristics | |
Type | elliptical |
Notable features | Pair of Galaxies = [KG99] A + [KG99] B. |
Other designations | |
RX J1242.6-1119A |
RX J1242.6−1119A (often abbreviated RX J1242−11) is an elliptical galaxy located approximately 200 megaparsecs (about 650 million light-years) from Earth. 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]
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.