ESO 444-46
| ESO 444-46 | |
|---|---|
HST image of the elliptical galaxy ESO 444-46. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension | 13h 27m 56.8ss |
| Declination | −31° 29′ 44″ |
| Redshift | 0.046902 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 14061 km/s |
| Distance | 640 Mly (195 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Abell 3558 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.6 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | cD4, E+4 |
| Size | ~600,000 ly (183.41 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.7 x 1.2 |
| Notable features | Large globular cluster population |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 444- G 046, MCG −05-32-026, PGC 047202, Shapley 8-1 | |
ESO 444-46 (Shapley 8-1, A3558-M1) is a class E4 supergiant elliptical galaxy; the dominant and brightest member of the Abell 3558 galaxy cluster around 195 megaparsecs (636 million light-years) away in the constellation Centaurus. It lies within the core of the massive Shapley Supercluster, one of the closest neighboring superclusters. It is one of the largest galaxies in the local universe, and possibly contains one of the most massive black holes known. The black hole's mass is very uncertain, with estimates ranging from as low as 501 million M☉, to as high as 77.6 billion M☉.