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3C273:
Chandra Observes Cosmic Traffic Pile-Up In Energetic Quasar Jet
This Chandra image shows important
new details in the powerful jet shooting from the
quasar 3C273, providing an X-ray view into the area
between 3C273's core and the beginning of the
jet. High-powered jets driven from quasars,
often at velocities very close to the speed of light,
have long been perplexing for scientists. Instead of
seeing a smooth stream of material driven from the core
of the quasar, most optical, radio, and earlier X-ray
observations have revealed inconsistent, "lumpy" clouds
of gas. The recent Chandra data show a continuous X-ray
flow in 3C273 from the core to the jet, which may
reveal insight on the physical processes that power
these jets. Scientists would like to learn why matter
is violently ejected from the quasar's core, then
appears to suddenly slow down.
The energy emitted from the jet in 3C273 probably
comes from gas that falls toward a supermassive black
hole at the center of the quasar, but is redirected by
strong electromagnetic fields into a collimated jet.
While the black hole itself is not observed directly,
scientists can discern properties of the black hole by
studying the jet. The formation of the jet from the
matter that falls into the black hole is a process that
remains poorly understood.
| Fast Facts for 3C273: |
| Credit |
NASA/CXC/SAO/H.Marshall et al. |
| Scale |
Image is approximately 24 arcsec on a side. |
| Category |
Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 12h 29m 06.70s | Dec +02° 03' 08.60 |
| Constellation |
Virgo |
| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
HRC |
| Distance Estimate |
Over 3 billion light years |
| Release Date |
November 06, 2000 |
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