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NGC 4151:
Chandra Observes Cloud Powered by Black Hole in Distant Galaxy
X-ray image of the central region
of the galaxy NGC 4151. The Chandra image shows
a massive cloud of hot gas in the center of NGC 4151.
The brightest regions in the cloud correspond to wisps
that were previously observed in visible light by the
Hubble Space Telescope. The colors represent X-ray
intensities, not temperatures, with white the most
intense, then yellow, etc. The cloud is 3000 light
years across.
The gas is heated by X rays from gas very near a giant
black hole in the center of the image. Observations
using the high-energy spectrometer aboard Chandra show
that the gas contains a variety of heavy elements such
as nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, aluminum,
silicon, and iron, and that portions of the cloud are
moving away at a velocity of 800,000 mph. It is thought
that this gas is being blown away from the far side of
the black hole by the pressure of the radiation from
the black hole. The elongated shape of the cloud
confirms that X rays from the black hole are collimated
into a narrow beam that illuminates only gas lying in
certain quadrants of the galaxy.
| Fast Facts for NGC 4151: |
| Credit |
NASA/MIT/P.Ogle et al. |
| Scale |
Image size: 27 x 45 arcsec (1 arcsec corresponds to 220 light years) |
| Category |
Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 12h 10m 32.60s | Dec +39° 24' 20.40" |
| Constellation |
Canes Venatici |
| Observation Dates |
March 25, 2000
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| Observation Time |
13 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
335
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
50 million light years |
| Release Date |
June 05, 2000 |
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