M87, or Messier 87, is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the Virgo Cluster, approximately 53 million light-years away from Earth. It is notable for being one of the largest galaxies in the local universe and for containing a supermassive black hole at its center, which was famously imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019. The characteristics of M87 provide insights into galaxy formation and evolution, highlighting the processes that govern the growth of massive galaxies and their central black holes.
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