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CXO 0312 Fiore P3:
A Possible Type 2 Quasar Veiled Black Hole
Chandra ACIS contours overlaid on
an optical image of a newly discovered powerful X-ray
source in a distant galaxy. When viewed with an
optical telescope, this galaxy appears normal. But when
the Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the galaxy
during calibration testing in September 1999, it
discovered an unusually strong source of X rays.
Located 2.5 billion light years from Earth, the X-ray
source is concentrated in the central regions of the
galaxy and could be another example of a veiled black
hole. This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence
that our census of energetic black hole sources in
galaxies is far from complete.
A team of Italian and Harvard-Smithsonian scientists,
led by Fabrizio Fiore, of the Astronomical Observatory
of Rome, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics, made the discovery.
The vertical lines in the image are part of a grid to
locate the source in the sky. The X-ray contours
represent brightness levels and are consistent with a
point-like source in the center of the galaxy. The
colors in the optical image also represent brightness
levels. The source name is CXOUJ, which defines its
position in the sky.
Reference: Fiore et al 2000,
New Astronomy in press, astro-ph/0003273
| Fast Facts for CXO 0312 Fiore P3: |
| Credit |
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, Optical: ESO/La Silla |
| Scale |
Image is 18.7 arcsec |
| Category |
Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 03h 12m 38.90s | Dec -76° 51' 34" |
| Constellation |
Hydrus |
| Observation Dates |
April 10, 2000
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
About 2.5 billion light years |
| Release Date |
April 03, 2000 |
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