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Circinus Galaxy:
Chandra Examines Black Holes Large and Small in Nearby Galaxy
This Chandra X-ray image shows the
inner portion of the Circinus Galaxy, with north at the
top of the image and east to the left. In terms
of X-ray energies, red represents low energy, green
intermediate and blue the highest observed energies.
The emission is resolved into a number of distinct
components, many of which are associated with a central
black hole. A bright, compact emission source is
present at the center of the image. That nuclear source
is surrounded by a diffuse X-ray halo that extends out
several hundred light years. The X-rays directly to the
northwest of the nucleus appear red, indicating
predominantly soft energies, while the X-rays to the
southeast are blue, indicating only hard
energies.
Because low X-ray energies are absorbed by gas more
easily than higher energies, the sharp contrast
suggests that the red emission to the northwest
originates from the near side of the disk of the
Circinus Galaxy. And, the blue emission is more highly
absorbed and must come from the gas within the disk or
on the far side. Such geometry corresponds to the disk
of the galaxy as seen in optical and radio images. A
bright, soft X-ray plume of emission extends
approximately 1,200 light years (380 parsecs) to the
northwest and coincides with an optical region
containing gas ionized by the nucleus. There is a very
strong correlation between the X-ray emission and the
high-excitation ionized gas seen in emission-line
images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope and
ground-based telescopes. The X-ray image was made with
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Advanced CCD
Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) from 67,000 seconds of
exposure time on June 6-7, 2000.
This and future X-ray images will enable scientists to
examine regions of the Venusian atmosphere that are
difficult to investigate otherwise.
| Fast Facts for Circinus Galaxy: |
| Credit |
NASA/Penn State/F.Bauer et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 80 arcsec on a side. |
| Category |
Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 14h 13m 10.20s | Dec -65° 20' 20.6" |
| Constellation |
Circinus |
| Observation Dates |
June 6-7, 2000
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| Observation Time |
19 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
00374 & 62877
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
About 13 million light years |
| Release Date |
May 14, 2001 |
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