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X-ray & Optical Images of NGC 5813
Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to show that a supermassive black hole at the center of a group of galaxies has erupted multiple times over a period lasting about 50 million years. Evidence for the eruptions can be found in the cavities, or bubbles, carved out of the hot gas that envelops the galaxies and glows in X-rays. These images show the X-rays from Chandra and visible light data from SDSS.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Randall et al., Optical: SDSS)
Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to show that a supermassive black hole at the center of a group of galaxies has erupted multiple times over a period lasting about 50 million years. Evidence for the eruptions can be found in the cavities, or bubbles, carved out of the hot gas that envelops the galaxies and glows in X-rays. These images show the X-rays from Chandra and visible light data from SDSS.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Randall et al., Optical: SDSS)
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Raw X-ray Image of NGC 5813 (Close-up)
This Chandra image shows a close-up of the middle of NGC 5813. The pair of small, central cavities are more easily visible here than in the composite image with a larger field-of-view. A second pair of cavities is also visible. No smoothing was applied to this image.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Randall et al.)
This Chandra image shows a close-up of the middle of NGC 5813. The pair of small, central cavities are more easily visible here than in the composite image with a larger field-of-view. A second pair of cavities is also visible. No smoothing was applied to this image.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/S.Randall et al.)
Return to NGC 5813 (June 10, 2015)
Revised: November 29, 2022