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Vela Pulsar Jet
NGC 6543
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Abell 644 and SDSS J1021+1312:
How Often do Giant Black Holes Become Hyperactive?
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ/D.Haggard et al, Optical: SDSS
How Often do Giant Black Holes Become Hyperactive?
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ/D.Haggard et al, Optical: SDSS
- A new study reveals how often some of the biggest black holes are active.
- These results come from a massive survey of galaxies using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
- The study has important implications for how a galaxy's environment affects the growth of the black hole at its center.
This two-panel graphic contains two composite images of galaxies used in a recent study of supermassive black holes. In each of the galaxies, data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are blue, and optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky survey are shown in red, yellow and white. The galaxy on the left, Abell 644, is in the center of a galaxy cluster that lies about 920 million light years from Earth. On the right is an isolated, or "field," galaxy named SDSS J1021+1312, which is located about 1.1 billion light years away. At the center of both of these galaxies is a growing supermassive black hole, called an active galactic nucleus (AGN) by astronomers, which is pulling in large quantities of gas.
A newly published study from Chandra tells scientists how often the biggest black holes in field galaxies like SDSS J1021+1312 have been active over the last few billion years. This has important implications for how environment affects black hole growth. The scientists found that only about one percent of field galaxies with masses similar to the Milky Way contain supermassive black holes in their most active phase. They also found that the most massive galaxies are the most likely to host these AGN, and that there is a gradual decline in the AGN fraction with cosmic time. Finally, the AGN fraction for field galaxies was found to be indistinguishable from that for galaxies in dense clusters, like Abell 644.
This study involves a survey called the Chandra Multiwavelength Project, or ChaMP, which covers 30 square degrees on the sky, the largest area covered of any Chandra survey to date. Combining Chandra's X-ray images with optical images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, about 100,000 galaxies were analyzed. Out of those, about 1,600 were bright in X-ray light, signaling possible AGN activity.
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Revised: January 07, 2011
Visitor Comments (8)
To Back who asked how the galaxy got so far away: The Big Bang theory as it presently exists is said to have included a period of "hyperinflation" of the (small--then suddenly large) universe very early in its history.
In addition, measurements made about a decade ago showed that even now the expansion of the universe is continuously accelerating.
Posted by Leonard on Wednesday, 08.22.12 @ 00:36am
Hi Bach,
Actually the age of the universe as I have read in many books is close to 14 billion years old.
Interesting question though and hope it gets answered by one of the Chandra team.
Marvin L. S.
Posted by Marvin L. S. on Tuesday, 01.11.11 @ 21:28pm
I have a simple question. With all the talk about the universe having started with a massive explosion and it being ONLY 12 Billion years old? can some please explain the following deduction.
Let's take this galaxy 1.1 LY away. Let's also assume the objects exploded at an average speed of 10M mph. In order for this galaxy to get that far away from us would take it 720B years. How then can the universe be only 12 B years old? Appreciate an explanation
Posted by Bach on Friday, 01.7.11 @ 12:59pm
The article shows the payoff from synergistic usage of two sets of instrumentation. Great work.
Posted by Chris on Thursday, 12.23.10 @ 01:55am
Thank you for the great shots, wow very interesting, will stay open for all information.
Posted by rick moll on Wednesday, 12.22.10 @ 02:54am
What is very interesting is the difference between a cluster galaxy and field galaxy but a middle supermassive black hole, it don't depend on the quantity and type of mater eated, what kind of star make a massive black hole, white dwarf, red magnestar, neutron star, this observation may show us that a super black hole isn't an evolution from a new black hole but depend of primaries state.
Posted by PECQUERY on Tuesday, 12.21.10 @ 21:21pm
Of utmost importance. If the AGN in our Milky Way is active, its radiation could destroy lifeformes on planets on a large scale. May be also on earth. This means destruction could be possible apart from destruction due to events in our planetary system and on earth.
Posted by H van Astenrode on Tuesday, 12.21.10 @ 10:57am
That is most interesting. So, has our galaxy been active like this in its past according to the above information?
There is so much to learn, how Astronomy and Astrophysics has grown over the past Century. A very complex subject.
Marvin L. S.
Posted by Marvin L. S. on Monday, 12.20.10 @ 21:04pm