Messier 87

Messier 87

I chose M87 because it is a galaxy with a supermassive black hole.
Chemicals: Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Iron

Location: R.A. 12h 30m 49.42338s, Dec. +12° 23′ 28.0439″
Stellar Classification: type-cD galaxy

Messier 87 (also known as Virgo A or NGC 4486, and generally abbreviated to M87) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. One of the most massive galaxies in the local universe, it is notable for its large population of globular clusters—M87 contains about 12,000 compared to the 150-200 orbiting the Milky Way—and its jet of energetic plasma that originates at the core and extends outward at least 1,500 parsecs (4,900 light-years), travelling at relativistic speed. It is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky and is located at R.A. 12h 30m 49.42338s, Dec. +12° 23′ 28.0439″.

The space between the stars in the M87 galaxy is filled with a diffuse interstellar medium of gas, which has been chemically enriched by the elements ejected from stars as they passed beyond the end of their main sequence lifetime. Carbon and nitrogen is being continuously supplied by intermediate mass stars as they pass through the asymptotic giant branch. The heavier elements from oxygen to iron are primarily produced by supernova explosions within the galaxy. About 60% of the abundance of these heavy elements was produced by core-collapse supernovae, while the remainder came from Type Ia supernovae. Outside this radius, the abundance of metals steadily decreases with increasing distance from the core.

 At the core of this galaxy is a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with an estimated (3.5 ± 0.8) × 109 times the mass of the Sun. This is one of the highest masses known for such an object. Surrounding the black hole is a rotating disk of ionized gas that is oriented roughly perpendicular to the relativistic jet.

M87 is categorized as an E0p galaxy. The E0 designation is used for an elliptical galaxy that displays no flattening—that is, it appears spherical while the 'p' suffix indicates a peculiar galaxy that does not fit cleanly into the classification scheme; in this case, the peculiarity denotes the presence of the jet emerging from the core. It is considered a type-cD galaxy, which is a supergiant D class galaxy that has an elliptical-like nucleus surrounded by an extensive, dustless, diffuse envelope.

Sources:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2015, August 28). Messier 87. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_87

 Visible Spectra of the Elements. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from http://www.umop.net/spctelem.htm