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See a Galaxy That’s Home to One of the Biggest Black Holes Ever Discovered

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The elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 in front of hundreds of background galaxies, and deeply embedded within the Coma galaxy cluster. Hidden from human eyes, is a gigantic supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.
The elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 in front of hundreds of background galaxies, and deeply embedded within the Coma galaxy cluster. Hidden from human eyes, is a gigantic supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy.NASA/ESA
By Justin Worland

NGC 4889—a galaxy located more than 300 million light-years away—may look calm in photos released by NASA this month. But the galaxy is actually home to one of the most massive black holes ever discovered.

The galaxy, the largest and brightest in the accompanying image, is home to a black hole 21 times the mass of the sun. For comparison, our galaxy’s black hole is thought to be just four million times the mass of the Sun.

The image comes from the Hubble Space Telescope and was released last week.

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com