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Credit & Copyright: Optical: R.P.van der Marel & J.Gerssen
(STScI),
NASA;
X-ray: S.Komossa & G.Hasinger (MPE) et al., CXC, NASA
Explanation:
The
Hubble optical image on the left shows
NGC 6240 in
the throes of a
titanic galaxy - galaxy collision 400 million light-years away.
As the cosmic catastrophe plays out, the merging galaxies spew forth
distorted tidal tails
of stars, gas, and dust and undergo
frantic bursts of star formation.
Using the orbiting
Chandra
Observatory's x-ray vision to peer within
the bright central regions of NGC 6242 astronomers
believe they have uncovered,
for
the first time, not one but
two enormous orbiting black holes, by
detecting the characteristic x-ray radiation from the interstellar debris
swirling toward them.
In the false-color close-up view at right,
the x-ray data clearly show
the black hole sources (shaded blue) separated by about 3,000 light-years.
Einstein's theory of gravity predicts that such a pair of black holes
must spiral closer together, and
ultimately coalesce into a single,
even more massive black hole
after
several hundred million
years.
In the final moments the merging supermassive black holes will
produce an extremely powerful burst of
gravitational radiation.
X-ray: S.Komossa & G.Hasinger (MPE) et al., CXC, NASA
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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: NGC 6240 - black hole
Publications with words: NGC 6240 - black hole
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 1 Á Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxys Central Black Hole
- UHZ1: Distant Galaxy and Black Hole
- The Galaxy, the Jet, and a Famous Black Hole
- Two Black Holes Dancing in 3C 75
- The Milky Way s Black Hole
- First Horizon Scale Image of a Black Hole
- EHT Resolves Central Jet from Black Hole in Cen A