This is a false-color image of the radio galaxy 3C296, associated
with the elliptical galaxy NGC5532. Blue colors show the distribution
of stars, made from an image from the
Digitized Second Palomar Sky Survey, and red colors show
the radio radiation as imaged by the VLA, measured at a
wavelength of 20cm.
Several other galaxies are seen in this image, but are not directly
related to the radio source.
The radio emission is from relativistic streams of
high energy particles generated by the radio source in the
center of the radio galaxy.
Astronomers believe
that the jets are fueled by material accreting onto a super-massive
black hole. The high energy particles are confined to remarkably
well collimated jets, and are shot into extragalactic space at speeds
approaching the speed of light, where they eventually balloon into
massive radio lobes. The plumes in 3C296 measure 80 kpc or 24,500
light years end-to-end (for a Hubble constant of 100 km/s/Mpc).
Investigator(s): J.P. Leahy & R.A. Perley. Optical/Radio superposition by Alan Bridle
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