Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Signed, “A Black Hole”

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 16, 1997 is “Signed, “A Black Hole”,” an image. It is credited to Credit: B. Woodgate (GSFC), G. Bower(NOAO), STIS Instrument Definition Team, NASA. The original explanation runs about 202 words.

Signed, “A Black Hole”
Credit: B. Woodgate (GSFC), G. Bower(NOAO), STIS Instrument Definition Team, NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This artistic image is actually the signature of a supermassive black hole in the center of distant galaxy M84 – based on data recently recorded by Hubble’s new Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ( STIS ).”

— APOD editors, May 16, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 16, 1997
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: B. Woodgate (GSFC), G. Bower(NOAO), STIS Instrument Definition Team, NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 202 words

All of May 1997 → · 1997 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

GalaxiesBlack holesHubble Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 16 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.