NGC 253: X Ray Zoom
Explanation:
Astronomers now report
that Chandra X-ray Observatory
observations of galaxies known to be
frantically forming stars
show that these galaxies also
contain luminous x-ray sources -- thought to be
intermediate mass
black holes and immense clouds of superheated gas.
Take the lovely
island universe NGC 253 for example.
At distance of a mere 8 million light-years, NGC 253's prodigious
starforming activity has been
well studied
using high-resolution optical images like the
one seen here at lower left.
Zooming in on this energetic galaxy's central region,
Chandra's
x-ray detectors reveal
hidden details indicated in the inset at right.
In the false-color image,
x-ray hot gas clouds glow near the core
and at least four very powerful x-ray sources
lie within 3,000 light-years of the center of the galaxy.
Much more luminous than
black hole binary star systems in our own
galaxy, these extreme x-ray sources may be gravitating toward
NGC 253's center.
As a result,
NGC 253 and other similar starforming galaxies
could ultimately develop a single, central, supermassive black hole,
transforming their cores into
quasars.
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.
