IRAS 13224−3809

IRAS 13224−3809 is a highly active and fluctuating Seyfert 1 galaxy in the constellation Centaurus^[2] about 1 billion light-years from Earth.^[3][5][6] The galaxy is notable due to its centrally located supermassive black hole that is closely studied by astronomers using x-ray astronomy, particularly X-ray reverberation echo mapping techniques, in an effort to better understand the inner workings, including mass and spin, of black holes.^[3][5]

X-Ray reverberation echo studies of black holes (video; 3:33)

IRAS 13224−3809
DESI Legacy Surveys image of IRAS 13224−3809
Observation data (J2000[1] epoch)
Constellation	Centaurus[2]
Right ascension	13h 25m 19.38s[1]
Declination	−38° 24′ 52.61″[1]
Redshift	0.06580 ± 0.00018
Distance	1 billion light-years[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)	13.80[4]
Other designations
2MASX J13251937−3824524; 2MASS J13251937−3824526; GSC 07787–00931; IRAS F13224−3809; PGC 88835; 1RXS J132519.4−382445; WISE J132519.39−382452.5; Gaia DR2 6162481890199388928[1]