Supermassive black hole

A supermassive black hole is the largest type of black hole, with a mass from hundreds of thousands to billions of times that of the Sun. Observations indicate that almost every large galaxy has one at its center, including the Milky Way's Sagittarius A*. Accretion of interstellar gas onto these objects powers active galactic nuclei and quasars. Sagittarius A* and the black hole at the center of Messier 87 have been directly imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Mass range

Hundreds of thousands to billions of solar masses

Typical location

At the center of almost every large galaxy

Directly imaged examples

Sagittarius A* and the black hole at the center of Messier 87