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List of most massive black holes

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

This image shows the shadow of a giant black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87, captured by a global team of telescopes. It is the first ever direct image of a black hole!

List of most massive black holes

Black holes are special places in space where gravity is very strong. They are like giant invisible pits that even light can’t escape from! Scientists have found some of the biggest black holes, and we can learn about them here.

The table below shows some of the most massive black holes ever found. The masses are measured in “solar masses,” which means how many times heavier they are compared to our Sun.

Host or [black hole](/wiki/Black_hole) nameMass (M☉)
(Maximal Theoretical Limit)2.7×1011
Phoenix A1×1011,
~1.26×1010
[IC 1101](/wiki/IC_1101)9.77 +17.14
−6.22 × 1010
4C +74.135.13+9.66
−3.35×1010
(Typical Theoretical Limit)5×1010
[TON 618](/wiki/TON_618)4.07×1010
SDSS 143148.09+0535583.64×1010
SDSS J114833.14+193003.23.631+0.550
−0.625×1010
[NGC 3842](/wiki/NGC_3842)3.46+6.30
−2.24×1010
[SMSS J215728.21-360215.1](/wiki/SMSS_J215728.21-360215.1)3.4±0.6 × 1010
SDSS J102325.31+514251.03.31+0.67
−0.56×1010
[Abell 1201 BCG](/wiki/Abell_1201_BCG)3.27±0.71 × 1010
H1821+6433×1010
[NGC 6166](/wiki/NGC_6166)2.84+0.27
−0.18×1010
[4C +37.11](/wiki/4C_+37.11)2.8+0.8
−0.8×1010
[ESO 383-76](/wiki/ESO_383-76)2.75+4.66
−1.73×1010
2MASS J13260399+70234622.7±0.4 × 1010
[ESO 444-46](/wiki/ESO_444-46)2.69×1010(5.01×108–7.76×1010)
[UGC 10143](/wiki/UGC_10143)2.63×1010
[APM 08279+5255](/wiki/APM_08279+5255)2.3×1010,
1.0+0.17
−0.13×1010
[Holmberg 15A](/wiki/Holmberg_15A)2.16+0.23
−0.28 × 1010
[NGC 4889](/wiki/NGC_4889)2.1±1.6 × 1010
SDSS J074521.78+734336.11.95±0.05 × 1010
[OJ 287](/wiki/OJ_287) primary1.835×1010
[NGC 1600](/wiki/NGC_1600)1.7±0.15 × 1010
[SDSS J010013.02+280225.8](/wiki/SDSS_J010013.02+280225.8)5.0×109 – 1.58×1010
SDSS J08019.69+373047.3(1.51±0.31)×1010
SDSS J115954.33+201921.1(1.41±0.10)×1010
SDSS J075303.34+423130.8(1.38±0.03)×1010
SDSS J080430.56+542041.1(1.35±0.22)×1010
SDSS J081855.77+095848.0(1.20±0.06)×1010
[NGC 1270](/wiki/NGC_1270)1.2×1010
SDSS J082535.19+512706.3(1.12±0.20)×1010
S5 0014+81(1.1–1.38)×1010
SDSS J013127.34-032100.1(1.1±0.2)×1010
ICRF J131043.3-5552111.05+0.02
−0.05×1010
PSO J334.2028+01.40751×1010
[RX J1532.9+3021](/wiki/RX_J1532.9+3021)1×1010
QSO B2126-1581×1010–4.9+1.13
−1.01×1010
[NGC 1281](/wiki/NGC_1281)1×1010
SDSS J015741.57-010629.6(9.8±1.4)×109
SDSS J230301.45-093930.7(9.12±0.88)×109
SDSS J140821.67+025733.28×109
SDSS J075819.70+202300.9(7.8±3.9)×109
CID-9476.9+0.8
−1.2×109
SDSS J080956.02+502000.9(6.46±0.45)×109
SDSS J014214.75+002324.2(6.31±1.16)×109
[Messier 87](/wiki/Messier_87)7.22+0.34
−0.40×109
6.3×109
[NGC 5419](/wiki/NGC_5419)7.2+2.7
−1.9×109
SDSS J025905.63+001121.9(5.25±0.73)×109
SDSS J094202.04+042244.5(5.13±0.71)×109
QSO B0746+2545×109
QSO B2149-3065×109
SDSS J090033.50+421547.0(4.7±0.2)×109
[Messier 60](/wiki/Messier_60)(4.5±1.0)×109
SDSS J011521.20+152453.3(4.1±2.4)×109
QSO B0222+1854×109
[Hercules A](/wiki/Hercules_A) (3C 348)4×109
SDSS J075403.60+481428.03.89×109
SDSS J150752.66+133844.53.681×109
Abell 1836-BCG3.61+0.41
−0.50×109
SDSS J213023.61+122252.0(3.5±0.2)×109
SDSS J173352.23+540030.4(3.4±0.4)×109
WISE J104222.11+164115.33.24×109
SDSS J025021.76-075749.9(3.1±0.6)×109
[NGC 1271](/wiki/NGC_1271)3.0+1.0
−1.1×109
SDSS J030341.04-002321.9(3.0±0.4)×109
QSO B0836+7103×109
SDSS J162752.18+541912.52.75×109
SDSS J224956.08+000218.0(2.63±1.21)×109
SDSS J030449.85-000813.4(2.4±0.50)×109
SDSS J234625.66-001600.4(2.24±0.15)×109
[ULAS J1120+0641](/wiki/ULAS_J1120+0641)2×109
QSO 0537-2862×109
[NGC 3115](/wiki/NGC_3115)2×109
Q0906+69302×109
SDSS J025231.19+034112.71.51×109
QSO B0805+6141.5×109
[Messier 84](/wiki/Messier_84)1.5×109
Pōniuāʻena
(J100758.264+211529.207)		(1.5±0.2)×109
PKS 2059+0341.36×109
Abell 3565-BCG1.34+0.21
−0.19×109
[NGC 7768](/wiki/NGC_7768)1.3+0.5
−0.4×109
[NGC 1277](/wiki/NGC_1277)1.2×109
SDSS J233254.46+151305.51.094×109
QSO B225155+22171×109
QSO B1210+3301×109
[Cygnus A](/wiki/Cygnus_A)1×109
[Sombrero Galaxy](/wiki/Sombrero_Galaxy)1×109
[Markarian 501](/wiki/Markarian_501)9×108–3.4×109
PG 1426+015(1.298±0.385)×109
467740000
[3C 109](/wiki/3C_109)9.3×108
[3C 273](/wiki/3C_273)(8.86±1.87)×108
550000000
[ULAS J1342+0928](/wiki/ULAS_J1342+0928)8×108
SDSS J155053.16+052112.17.94×108
[Messier 49](/wiki/Messier_49)5.6×108
[NGC 1399](/wiki/NGC_1399)5×108
PG 0804+761(6.93±0.83)×108
190550000
PG 1617+175(5.94±1.38)×108
275420000
PG 1700+5187.81+1.82
−1.65×108
60260000

Images

The Crab Nebula is the remnants of a star that exploded long ago, creating a beautiful glowing cloud of gas and dust in space.
A stunning view of Earth rising over the Moon, captured by astronauts during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
An artist's impression of HE 1523-0901, one of the oldest known stars in our Galaxy, located about 7,500 light-years from Earth.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of most massive black holes, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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