|
|
NGC 1553:
Black Holes in Distant Galaxy Points to Wild Youth
Chandra's image of the lenticular
(an elliptical-type galaxy with a disk of old stars)
galaxy NGC 1553 reveals diffuse hot gas dotted with
many point-like sources. As in the elliptical
galaxies, NGC 4649 and NGC 4697, the point-like sources
are due to black holes and neutron stars in binary star
systems where material pulled off a normal star is
heated and emits X-radiation as it falls toward its
black hole or neutron star companion.
Black holes and neutron stars are the end state of the
brightest and most massive stars. Chandra's detection
of numerous neutron stars and black holes in this and
other elliptical galaxies shows that these galaxies
once contained many very bright, massive stars, in
marked contrast to the present population of low-mass
faint stars that now dominate elliptical
galaxies.
|
|
Elliptical Galaxies
NGC 4697 & NGC 4649
|
The bright central source in NGC 1553 is probably due
to a supermassive black hole in the nucleus of the
galaxy. The nature of the spiral feature curling out
from either side of this source is not known. It could
be caused by shock waves from a pair of bubbles of high
energy particles that were ejected from the vicinity of
the supermassive black hole.
|
Fast Facts for NGC
1553:
|
|
Credit
|
NASA/CXC/UVa/E.Blanton et al.
|
|
Scale
|
Image is 4 arcmin on a side.
|
|
Category
|
Normal
Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies |
|
Coordinates
(J2000)
|
RA 04h 16m 10.3s | Dec -55º 46'
51" |
|
Constellation
|
Dorado
|
|
Observation
Date
|
January 2, 2000
|
|
Observation
Time
|
9.4 hours
|
|
Obs.
ID
|
783
|
|
Color
Code
|
Intensity
|
|
Instrument
|
ACIS
|
|
Distance
Estimate
|
about 70 million light years
|
|
Also Known
As
|
IRAS 04150-5554
|
|
Release Date
|
June 04, 2002
|
|
|
|
