Chandra Release - August 05, 2008

Visual Description: M87

A composite image of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 is presented. The galaxy is dominated by blue and red colors, with pinkish and yellow hues in the inner regions. The galaxy's overall shape can be described as an elliptical but with filamentary-like “arms” coming out of the central area of the galaxy.  It resembles a sort of alien squid swimming in a dark sea lit up with tiny bioluminescent creatures floating around it. This image is a composite of visible (or optical) in yellow, radio in red, and X-ray data in blue. Bright jets (the filamentary looking “arms”) moving at close to the speed of light are seen at all wavelengths coming from the massive black hole at the center of the galaxy. In X-rays, M87 also reveals evidence for a series of outbursts from the central supermassive black hole. Loops and bubbles in the hot, X-ray emitting gas are relics of small outbursts from close to the black hole. Other interesting features in M87 are narrow filaments of X-ray emission, which may be due to hot gas trapped by magnetic fields. One of these filaments is over 100,000 light years long, and extends below and to the right of the center of M87 in almost a straight line.