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X-ray & Optical Images of GSN 069
Data from Chandra and XMM-Newton, taken over a span of 54 days, revealed that a supermassive black hole is blasting out X-rays about every nine hours. This indicates that this black hole, containing about 400,000 solar masses, is consuming significant amounts of material about three times per day. This is the first time such repetitive behavior has been seen in a supermassive black hole. These images show wide-field DSS visible light data around the galaxy known as GSN 069, along with close-up Chandra data taken on February 14 and 15, 2019. (Note that to clearly show the Chandra source is located in GSN 069, the size of the box in the center of the DSS image is about ten times larger than the Chandra field in the inset.)
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/CSIC-INTA/G.Miniutti et al.; Optical: DSS
Data from Chandra and XMM-Newton, taken over a span of 54 days, revealed that a supermassive black hole is blasting out X-rays about every nine hours. This indicates that this black hole, containing about 400,000 solar masses, is consuming significant amounts of material about three times per day. This is the first time such repetitive behavior has been seen in a supermassive black hole. These images show wide-field DSS visible light data around the galaxy known as GSN 069, along with close-up Chandra data taken on February 14 and 15, 2019. (Note that to clearly show the Chandra source is located in GSN 069, the size of the box in the center of the DSS image is about ten times larger than the Chandra field in the inset.)
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/CSIC-INTA/G.Miniutti et al.; Optical: DSS
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Select Time-lapse Still Images
A selection of images from a time-lapse of Chandra data taken over a period of about 20 hours on February 14 and 15, 2019.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/CSIC-INTA/G.Miniutti et al.; Optical: DSS
A selection of images from a time-lapse of Chandra data taken over a period of about 20 hours on February 14 and 15, 2019.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/CSIC-INTA/G.Miniutti et al.; Optical: DSS
Return to Scientists Discover Black Hole Has Three Hot Meals a Day (September 11, 2019)
Revised: November 29, 2022