| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
When do Black Holes Become Active? The Case of the Strangely-Shaped Galaxy Mrk 273
Mrk 273 as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA
The Hubble image above shows a strange galaxy, known as Mrk 273. The odd shape – including the infrared bright center and the long tail extending into space for 130 thousand light-years – is strongly indicative of a merger between galaxies.
Near-infrared observations have revealed a nucleus with multiple components, but for years the details of such a sight have remained obscured by dust. With further data from the Keck Telescope, based in Hawaii, astronomers have verified that this object is the result of a merger between galaxies, with the infrared bright center consisting of two active galactic nuclei – intensely luminous cores powered by supermassive black holes.
(…)
Read the rest of When do Black Holes Become Active? The Case of the Strangely-Shaped Galaxy Mrk 273 (494 words)
© Shannon Hall for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
One comment |
Post tags: active galactic nuclei, Black Holes, galaxies, Merging Galaxies
Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/104255/when-do-black-holes-become-active-the-case-of-the-strangely-shaped-galaxy-mrk-273/
