TON 618 size and scale context

TON 618 is a hyperluminous quasar powered by one of the most massive black holes known. We see it from a far younger universe, and the quasar is so overwhelmingly bright that the galaxy around it is largely lost in the glare. Read its scale context, comparisons, and journey links on the canonical object page.

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Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

Editorial

Solar System Planets From Electron to Atoms Stars To Scale Birth And Death Of Stars Black Holes To Scale

Views

Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

Return to Earth hello@scaleofspace.org

Between the smallest and the largest, perspective is everything.

About

Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.

Guides turn parts of that scale into curated essays, while focused views let you explore the same range through specific groups of objects.

Editorial

Solar System Planets From Electron to Atoms Stars To Scale Birth And Death Of Stars Black Holes To Scale

Views

Planets of the Solar System Stars of the Universe Black holes Subatomic scale

Return to Earth hello@scaleofspace.org

Black holes

M87*

M87* is the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87. The Event Horizon Telescope’s 2019 image of its glowing ring became the first direct image of a black hole’s immediate surroundings, turning a previously inferred boundary into a measurable true-scale object.

Scale fact~38 billion kmevent horizon diameter

Object class: Supermassive black hole
Host: Messier 87
Mass: ~6.5 billion solar masses

Black holes

TON 618

Scale fact390 billion kmevent horizon diameter

Object class: Ultramassive black hole
Mass: ~40.7 billion solar masses