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Perseus A:
Chandra Catches Cannibal Galaxy in the Act
Core of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
in X rays. Chandra's X-ray image of the core of
the Perseus galaxy cluster shows hot gas in and around
the supergiant galaxy, Perseus A. The colors represent
low (0.5 - 1 keV = red); medium (1-2 keV = green); and
high (2-7 keV = blue) X-ray energies, corresponding to
low, medium and high temperatures. The small dark patch
(located at two o'clock from the center of the image)
is due to the absorption of X rays by gas in a galaxy
of about 20 billion stars that is falling into the
central galaxy.
The bright blue spot in the center is due to
X-radiation from gas around a giant black hole in the
nucleus of the galaxy. The twin dark cavities-- each
large enough to contain a galaxy half the diameter of
our Milky Way galaxy are thought to be buoyant
magnetized bubbles of energetic particles produced by
energy released from the vicinity of the black hole. As
70 million degree Celsius gas from the surrounding
cluster settles onto Perseus A, it "cools" to a
temperature of 30 million degrees C and piles up to
form the bright rims around the dark cavities.
| Fast Facts for Perseus A: |
| Credit |
NASA/IoA/A.Fabian et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 3.5 arcmin square. (1 arcmin corresponds to 98,000 light years) |
| Category |
Groups & Clusters of Galaxies |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 03h 19m 48.10s | Dec +41° 30' 42" |
| Constellation |
Perseus |
| Observation Dates |
January 29, 2000
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| Observation Time |
7 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
1513
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| Color Code |
Thermal |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Also Known As | NGC 1275 |
| Distance Estimate |
250 million light years |
| Release Date |
June 01, 2000 |
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