The Doomed Dust Disk of NGC 7052
Explanation:
What created the dust disk in the center of NGC 7052,
and what keeps it spinning?
Although the disk might appear as a relatively tame
"hubcap in space",
the unusual center of
elliptical galaxy
NGC 7052 is probably the remnant of a
titanic collision between galaxies.
What's more, the disk's spin indicates the
tremendous gravity of a massive central
black hole. Analysis of
this recently released photo by the
Hubble Space Telescope
indicates that the disk is thousands of
light-years across,
rotates faster than 100 kilometers per second,
at a distance of 150 light-years from the center,
and contains more mass than a million Suns.
The theorized
central black hole is
thought to be yet 100 times more massive,
and may swallow the entire disk in the next few million years.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
