Located in the constellation Virgo, Caldwell 52 is the first Caldwell object (numerically) that resides in the southern celestial hemisphere (south of the celestial equator). This elliptical galaxy is visible from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, appearing highest in the spring for northern observers and in autumn for southern observers. It lies roughly 40 million light-years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.9. The galaxy’s core can be spotted with a small telescope in a suburban sky. From a darker location, the galaxy appears as an elongated patch of fuzz.

Also known as NGC 4697, Caldwell 52 is the most prominent member of a collection of galaxies known as the NGC 4697 Group. Slightly larger than the Andromeda galaxy, this massive elliptical dominates its group, distorting its neighbors with its gravitational influence. By observing the motion of Caldwell 52’s stars close to the galaxy’s center, astronomers were able to identify what is likely a supermassive black hole in the heart of the galaxy. This black hole is roughly 100 million times as massive as the Sun.

This image is a mosaic created using several infrared and visible-light observations made by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Astronomers used these observations to detect globular star clusters within the galaxy, which appear as star-like specks throughout the image.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Sarazin (University of Virginia); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)