More Images of Abell 2052
1
X-ray & Optical Images of Abell 2052
These images show Abell 2052 in X-ray light from Chandra and optical data from the VLT. A huge spiral structure in the hot gas - spanning almost a million light years - is seen around the outside of the image. This spiral was created when a small cluster of galaxies smashed into a larger one that surrounds the central elliptical galaxy. The collision caused the hot gas in the cluster to be "sloshed" back and forth, similar to wine sloshing in a glass that was jerked sideways. This sloshing has important effects including impacting how the giant elliptical galaxy and its supermassive black hole grow.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT)
2
X-ray, Radio & Optical Composite Image of Abell 2052
Abell 2052 is one of the clearest examples observed with Chandra of a
supermassive black hole affecting its environment. Cooling gas feeds the
black hole in the central cluster galaxy. These gas particles get
accelerated to high speeds near the black hole and are funneled by magnetic
fields away from the black hole to produce the "jets" and "lobes" of
emission seen at radio wavelengths (purple). The radio lobes push aside the
cluster gas creating bubbles (a.k.a. cavities) in the X-ray emission
(blue), and compressing the X-ray gas into bright bubble rims. Exterior to
the bubble rims, an elliptical ring of hotter gas is visible and is
associated with a shock wave driven by the outburst from the supermassive
black hole. The radio and X-ray data have been combined with optical data
(gold) in this composite.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF;)
3
3-color X-ray of Abell 2052
This image shows Chandra's lower energy X-rays as red, the medium X-rays in
green, and the higher-energy X-rays are blue. The higher energies
correspond to higher temperatures. Bubbles formed by outbursts from the
supermassive black hole are located near the center of the image. The
faint, blue ring located around the bubbles indicates that the gas there
has been heated by a shock generated by outbursts from the central
supermassive black hole.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
4
X-ray broadband image of Abell 2052
This image of the central region of Abell 2052 shows, in one color, the
full range of X-rays detected by Chandra. The deep Chandra observation of
Abell 2052 reveals exquisite detail in the cluster center related to the
outburst from the central supermassive black hole. Clear bubbles evacuated
by the black hole's radio lobes are seen, surrounded by dense, bright, cool
rims. Heating from buoyantly rising bubbles and shocks produced by the
black hole can offset the cooling in this system.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
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Abell 2052 with Scale Bar
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT
Return to Abell 2052 (December 13, 2011)