M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy approximately 50 million light-years away that is shooting out a 5,000 light-year-long, narrow band of radiation and plasma. (22-inch modified Cassegrain telescope at f/8, SBIG ST-8XME CCD camera, LRGB image with exposure of 60, 10, 10, and 10 minutes, respectively) Pat Knoll took this image May 16, 2009, from the Orange County Astronomers Observatory in Anza, California.
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