This is a composite image of NGC 1068, one of the nearest and brightest galaxies containing a rapidly growing supermassive black hole. X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in red, optical data from the Hubble Space Telescope in green and radio data from the Very Large Array in blue. The spiral structure of NGC 1068 is shown by the X-ray and optical data, and a jet powered by the central supermassive black hole is shown by the radio data.
The X-ray images and spectra obtained using Chandra's High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer show that a strong wind is being driven away from the center of NGC 1068 at a rate of about a million miles per hour. This wind is likely generated as surrounding gas is accelerated and heated as it swirls toward the black hole. A portion of the gas is pulled into the black hole, but some of it is blown away. High energy X-rays produced by the gas near the black hole heat the ouflowing gas, causing it to glow at lower X-ray energies.
This Chandra study is much deeper than previous X-ray observations. It allowed scientists to make a high-definition map of the cone-shaped volume lit up by the black hole and its winds, and make precision measurements of how the wind speed varies along the cone. Using this data it is shown that each year several times the mass of the Sun is being deposited out to large distances, about 3,000 light years from the black hole. The wind likely carries enough energy to heat the surrounding gas and suppress extra star formation.
These results help explain how a supermassive black hole can alter the evolution of its host galaxy. It has long been suspected that material blown away from a black hole can affect its environment, but a key question has been whether such "black hole blowback" typically delivers enough power to have a significant impact.
NGC 1068 is located about 50 million light years from Earth and contains a supermassive black hole about twice as massive as the one in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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Great article.
Posted by Mahedi on Tuesday, 10.18.16 @ 12:40pm
The universe is amazing...
Posted by mahmood on Friday, 11.15.13 @ 10:51am
If a black hole can't be seen or recorded, then why must they be infinite? why can't they just end up dead like the rest of us?
Posted by andrew on Wednesday, 04.28.10 @ 22:35pm
Dear Kris,
The answer to this good question isn't known yet. There is a lot of evidence that galaxies and their supermassive black holes grow together, but so far there is little evidence that one of them started before the other. In the latter category was this interesting press release:
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2009/bhbulge/
but this result needs to be confirmed by further work.
P. Edmonds for CXC
Posted by P. Edmonds on Wednesday, 04.28.10 @ 11:59am
Dear CARL,
There could indeed be life surrounding such galaxies, but such objects are very distant compared to local regions of our own galaxy. Searches for evidence of life beyond the Earth target the very nearby parts of our own galaxy.
P. Edmonds for CXC
Posted by P. Edmonds on Wednesday, 04.28.10 @ 11:56am
Dear John Hornstein,
The mechanism for the wind is not well understood but it is indeed thought to be generated above and below the plane of the accretion disk.
P. Edmonds for CXC
Posted by P. Edmonds on Wednesday, 04.28.10 @ 11:52am
So, do you think there could be life surrounding such galaxies? It would be great news.
Posted by CARL on Monday, 04.12.10 @ 12:43pm
Wonderful news and photo for many of amateurs like us.
Posted by Bill Brookings on Saturday, 04.10.10 @ 11:59am
I want to thank you for the excellent way in which information is exposed to people with some knowledge of astronomy, like me, a teacher.
Thanks for good work.
Posted by Pedro on Thursday, 03.25.10 @ 13:04pm
If the question were "Which came first, the galaxy or the black hole?" this seems to indicate that the galaxy came first. Is this true? Or do we know?
Posted by Kris on Wednesday, 03.24.10 @ 00:45am
Sir,
This is excellent and front line knowledge for retired techies, like me. The associated write-up is brilliant and simple, and all of us understand it. Congratulations and thank you. Keep it up and remember your effort helps many like me, get an insight into the frontiers of Astronomy.
Posted by AK Sharma on Saturday, 03.20.10 @ 13:57pm
Does the wind blow from the corona above and below the accretion disk?
Posted by John Hornstein on Tuesday, 03.16.10 @ 15:46pm
What is known as the dark ages was the time for collision friction and the state of motion for the mc2 to exist as a density and geometry with mechanical duration. Some black holes may only be a simple impact momentum object from disk to spheroid of compression pressure density from force pressure density of the energy of the collision friction and of motion a side note 1 n N Infinity is size put in any quality quantity its still size.
Posted by J J Madson on Monday, 03.15.10 @ 16:57pm
The milky ways and Andromeda black holes will be almost similar in size to NGC 1068 big black hole. Then the two galaxies black holes merge together to one.
Posted by Micro on Monday, 03.15.10 @ 01:38am
I want more detail about this blackholes, how can I get it? I want to picture about that I wish all of the best, because you give most of informatin to people's. Thank you.
Posted by indika on Monday, 03.8.10 @ 03:33am
I must be missing something. If the wind is depositing each year several times the mass of the Sun out to a distance of about 3000 light years from the black hole, wouldn't that matter have to be travelling at 3000 times the speed of light in a vacuum?
Posted by Mark Sonk on Sunday, 03.7.10 @ 00:38am
Fantastic pictures.
Posted by PETER GRANT on Saturday, 03.6.10 @ 15:41pm
Great multiwavelength look at this nearby Seyfert galaxy M-77 never looked better.
Posted by Jon Hanford on Friday, 03.5.10 @ 22:24pm
It looks like the black hole is the axis of the galaxy.
Posted by Roberto Gonzalez Davison on Friday, 03.5.10 @ 20:54pm
Hello,
Multi-frequency imagery allows the beauty to be shown and its physics to be known unless of course if the majority of the Universe is invisible in the vacuum-state and the differences are in the temperatures as well as sizes and densities compression pressure at pressure density differences may vary light for observation.
Posted by J Madson on Friday, 03.5.10 @ 16:28pm
Can you check to see if the composite images are label correctly?
Posted by travis on Wednesday, 03.3.10 @ 16:51pm
Fascinating study. Thank you for providing this information to us.
Posted by jude on Wednesday, 03.3.10 @ 16:25pm