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Peering into a Galaxy's Dusty Core to Study an Active Supermassive Black Hole

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March 17, 2021 10:00AM (EDT)Release ID: 2021-015
A large multi-wavelength image of galaxy Centaurus A appears at center. The galaxy is marked by a prominent, fluffy X shape that takes up about a quarter of the field of view. A wavy, deep pink horizontal line that looks like a tilde forms part of the X and is a combination of visible and infrared light. From 11 o’clock to four o’clock, a lighter pink line that ends in bulbous plumes on either side forms the other side of the X shape, a combination of X-ray and radio light. Hazy light brown concentric rings of light extend from the center, each ring becoming more transparent toward the image’s edges. The background is black and dotted with distant galaxies and stars in a variety of sizes and colors. Large blue stars appear toward the edges of the frame, and many smaller purple stars throughout the center. Orange and white stars, some with diffraction spikes, appear throughout.

Summary

Researchers using NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will map and model the core of nearby galaxy Centaurus A.

As technology has improved over the centuries, so have astronomers' observations of nearby galaxy Centaurus A. They have peeled back its layers like an onion to discover that its wobbly shape is the result of two galaxies that merged more than 100 million years ago. It also has an active supermassive black hole, known as an active galactic nucleus, at its heart that periodically sends out twin jets. Despite these advancements, Centaurus A's dusty core is still quite mysterious. Webb's high-resolution infrared data will allow a research team to very precisely reveal all that lies at the center.

Full Article

Centaurus A is a giant of a galaxy, but its appearances in telescope observations can be deceiving. Dark dust lanes and young blue star clusters, which crisscross its central region, are apparent in ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light, painting a fairly subdued landscape. But by switching to X-ray and radio light views, a far more raucous scene begins to unfold: From the core of the misshapen elliptical galaxy, spectacular jets of material have erupted from its active supermassive black hole – known as an active galactic nucleus – sending material into space well beyond the ...

Read More on NASA.gov

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