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Credit & Copyright: X-ray;
J. Liu (U.Mich.)
et al.,
CXC,
NASA
-
Optical;
T. Boroson
(NOAO),
AURA,
NOAO,
NSF
Explanation:
In visual appearance, M74 is a
nearly perfect face-on spiral
galaxy, about 30 million light-years away toward the
constellation Pisces.
The red blotches seen in
this
composite view are ultraluminous
x-ray sources (ULXs) mapped by the
Chandra X-ray Observatory.
The ULXs are so called because they actually do radiate 10 to
1,000 times more x-ray power than "ordinary"
x-ray binary stars,
which harbor a neutron star or
stellar mass
black hole.
In fact,
watching
these ULXs change their
x-ray brightness over periods of 2 hours or so, astronomers
conclude that ULXs could well be
intermediate mass black holes --
black holes with
masses 10,000 times or so greater than the Sun, but still much less
than the million solar mass black holes which
lurk in the centers
of large spiral galaxies.
How did these intermediate mass black holes get there?
One intriguing suggestion is that they are left over from
the cores of much smaller galaxies that are
merging with
spiral galaxy M74.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 74 - spiral galaxy - black hole
Publications with words: M 74 - spiral galaxy - black hole
See also:
- Grand Spiral NGC 5643
- APOD: 2024 December 2 Á NGC 300: A Galaxy of Stars
- APOD: 2024 November 24 Á Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
- Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 from Webb
- Spiral Galaxy NGC 6744
- APOD: 2024 October 9 Á M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
- APOD: 2024 October 1 Á Porphyrion: The Longest Known Black Hole Jets