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X-ray & Optical Images of Abell 2052
These images show Abell 2052 in X-ray light from Chandra and optical data from the VLT. A huge spiral structure in the hot gas - spanning almost a million light years - is seen around the outside of the image. This spiral was created when a small cluster of galaxies smashed into a larger one that surrounds the central elliptical galaxy. The collision caused the hot gas in the cluster to be "sloshed" back and forth, similar to wine sloshing in a glass that was jerked sideways. This sloshing has important effects including impacting how the giant elliptical galaxy and its supermassive black hole grow.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT)
These images show Abell 2052 in X-ray light from Chandra and optical data from the VLT. A huge spiral structure in the hot gas - spanning almost a million light years - is seen around the outside of the image. This spiral was created when a small cluster of galaxies smashed into a larger one that surrounds the central elliptical galaxy. The collision caused the hot gas in the cluster to be "sloshed" back and forth, similar to wine sloshing in a glass that was jerked sideways. This sloshing has important effects including impacting how the giant elliptical galaxy and its supermassive black hole grow.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT)
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X-ray, Radio & Optical Composite Image of Abell 2052
Abell 2052 is one of the clearest examples observed with Chandra of a supermassive black hole affecting its environment. Cooling gas feeds the black hole in the central cluster galaxy. These gas particles get accelerated to high speeds near the black hole and are funneled by magnetic fields away from the black hole to produce the "jets" and "lobes" of emission seen at radio wavelengths (purple). The radio lobes push aside the cluster gas creating bubbles (a.k.a. cavities) in the X-ray emission (blue), and compressing the X-ray gas into bright bubble rims. Exterior to the bubble rims, an elliptical ring of hotter gas is visible and is associated with a shock wave driven by the outburst from the supermassive black hole. The radio and X-ray data have been combined with optical data (gold) in this composite.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF;)
Abell 2052 is one of the clearest examples observed with Chandra of a supermassive black hole affecting its environment. Cooling gas feeds the black hole in the central cluster galaxy. These gas particles get accelerated to high speeds near the black hole and are funneled by magnetic fields away from the black hole to produce the "jets" and "lobes" of emission seen at radio wavelengths (purple). The radio lobes push aside the cluster gas creating bubbles (a.k.a. cavities) in the X-ray emission (blue), and compressing the X-ray gas into bright bubble rims. Exterior to the bubble rims, an elliptical ring of hotter gas is visible and is associated with a shock wave driven by the outburst from the supermassive black hole. The radio and X-ray data have been combined with optical data (gold) in this composite.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton; Optical: ESO/VLT; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF;)
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3-color X-ray of Abell 2052
This image shows Chandra's lower energy X-rays as red, the medium X-rays in green, and the higher-energy X-rays are blue. The higher energies correspond to higher temperatures. Bubbles formed by outbursts from the supermassive black hole are located near the center of the image. The faint, blue ring located around the bubbles indicates that the gas there has been heated by a shock generated by outbursts from the central supermassive black hole.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
This image shows Chandra's lower energy X-rays as red, the medium X-rays in green, and the higher-energy X-rays are blue. The higher energies correspond to higher temperatures. Bubbles formed by outbursts from the supermassive black hole are located near the center of the image. The faint, blue ring located around the bubbles indicates that the gas there has been heated by a shock generated by outbursts from the central supermassive black hole.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
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X-ray broadband image of Abell 2052
This image of the central region of Abell 2052 shows, in one color, the full range of X-rays detected by Chandra. The deep Chandra observation of Abell 2052 reveals exquisite detail in the cluster center related to the outburst from the central supermassive black hole. Clear bubbles evacuated by the black hole's radio lobes are seen, surrounded by dense, bright, cool rims. Heating from buoyantly rising bubbles and shocks produced by the black hole can offset the cooling in this system.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
This image of the central region of Abell 2052 shows, in one color, the full range of X-rays detected by Chandra. The deep Chandra observation of Abell 2052 reveals exquisite detail in the cluster center related to the outburst from the central supermassive black hole. Clear bubbles evacuated by the black hole's radio lobes are seen, surrounded by dense, bright, cool rims. Heating from buoyantly rising bubbles and shocks produced by the black hole can offset the cooling in this system.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/BU/E.Blanton;)
Return to Abell 2052 (December 13, 2011)
Revised: November 30, 2022