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1. Accretion Disk Around Black Hole
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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2. Accretion Disk Around Black Hole
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. The inset depicts gas very close to the black hole where it cannot stay in orbit and falls into the black hole. In this region the gravitational redshift is important and shifts the radiation from the gas (red) to lower energies. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. The inset depicts gas very close to the black hole where it cannot stay in orbit and falls into the black hole. In this region the gravitational redshift is important and shifts the radiation from the gas (red) to lower energies. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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3. Accretion Disk Around Black Hole
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. The inset depicts gas very close to the black hole where it cannot stay in orbit and falls into the black hole. In this region the gravitational redshift is important and shifts the radiation from the gas (red) to lower energies. Inside the event horizon of the black hole (black area) the extreme curvature of space bends the light rays back into the black hole, so no light escapes. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
More Info: Field Guide
As gas swirls toward a black hole, frictional forces heat the gas to increasingly higher temperatures. On the inner edge of the disk, temperatures reach millions of degrees and the gas produces X-rays. Note that the inner edge of the disk is white on the right side, and red on the left side. This is because the gas on the right side is moving toward the observer, so the radiation is shifted to higher energies and intensities; conversely the gas on the left side is moving away from the observer, so its radiation is shifted to lower energies and intensities. The inset depicts gas very close to the black hole where it cannot stay in orbit and falls into the black hole. In this region the gravitational redshift is important and shifts the radiation from the gas (red) to lower energies. Inside the event horizon of the black hole (black area) the extreme curvature of space bends the light rays back into the black hole, so no light escapes. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
More Info: Field Guide
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6. Black Hole Flare Illustrations
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(Illustration: NASA/SAO/CXC/D.Berry)
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(Illustration: NASA/SAO/CXC/D.Berry)
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10. Active Galactic Nucleus
An artist's rendition of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Such a galaxy is called an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). (Illustration: NASA)
An artist's rendition of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Such a galaxy is called an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). (Illustration: NASA)
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11. Radiation Pressure
When matter is pulled toward a black hole, it is heated and produces X-rays. These X-rays create a radiation pressure which pushes out on the matter. If the matter continues to fall in, the radiation pressure of the X-rays must be less than the pull of the black hole's gravity. This effect, called the Eddington limit, enables astronomers to estimate the mass of a black hole.(Illustration: CXC)
More Info: Field Guide
When matter is pulled toward a black hole, it is heated and produces X-rays. These X-rays create a radiation pressure which pushes out on the matter. If the matter continues to fall in, the radiation pressure of the X-rays must be less than the pull of the black hole's gravity. This effect, called the Eddington limit, enables astronomers to estimate the mass of a black hole.(Illustration: CXC)
More Info: Field Guide
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12. Blackhole Illustration
This artist's conception depicts gas from a companion star being drawn by gravity onto the black hole in a swirling pattern in the top panel. In contrast, the bottom panel shows he case when the gas from such a Sun-like star strikes the solid surface of a neutron star and it glows brightly.(Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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This artist's conception depicts gas from a companion star being drawn by gravity onto the black hole in a swirling pattern in the top panel. In contrast, the bottom panel shows he case when the gas from such a Sun-like star strikes the solid surface of a neutron star and it glows brightly.(Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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13. High Mass X-ray binary System with Jets
An artist's rendering that shows a binary system consisting of a massive star and a black hole. Matter spirals from the massive star toward the black hole, forming a disk. The matter is heated to temperatures of million of degrees, and intense electromagnetic forces in the disk expel jets of high-energy matter. In this system the jets are slowly wobbling, or precessing, (represented by blue circular arrow) around a fixed axis (dotted white line). (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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An artist's rendering that shows a binary system consisting of a massive star and a black hole. Matter spirals from the massive star toward the black hole, forming a disk. The matter is heated to temperatures of million of degrees, and intense electromagnetic forces in the disk expel jets of high-energy matter. In this system the jets are slowly wobbling, or precessing, (represented by blue circular arrow) around a fixed axis (dotted white line). (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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14. Illustration of Merging Spiral Galaxies
This illustration shows two spiral galaxies - each with supermassive black holes at their center - as they are about to collide. The latest Chandra results suggest that such collisions may cause extreme black hole and galaxy growth in the early Universe, setting the stage for the birth of quasars. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
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This illustration shows two spiral galaxies - each with supermassive black holes at their center - as they are about to collide. The latest Chandra results suggest that such collisions may cause extreme black hole and galaxy growth in the early Universe, setting the stage for the birth of quasars. (Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
Related Photo Album
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Revised: February 18, 2010