This page describes an image Jet Ejected from the Active Galaxy M87
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Image caption:
A 3000-light-year-long jet streaming from the core of galaxy M87, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. The center of this image shows the core of the elliptical galaxy M87 (in the constellation Virgo) which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
An AGN is a very luminous region around a supermassive black hole. It is powered by matter falling towards the black hole and forming a hot accretion disk. Many galaxies host a supermassive black hole, but not all of them are accreting enough matter to appear as an AGN.
The strong gravity of the supermassive black hole in the heart of M87 has caused a huge jet of charges particles to be flung out from the accretion disk. This extends far out into the galaxy itself, beyond the core region. Here we see the jet as a whitish-blue line which gets wider the further it goes from the core. The light emission we see here is caused by the energetic electrons in the jet interacting with magnetic fields.
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Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Lessing (Stanford University), E. Baltz (Stanford University), M. Shara (AMNH), J. DePasquale (STScI) Credit Link
Related glossary terms:
Accretion Disk
, Active Galactic Nucleus
, Elliptical Galaxy
, Virgo
Categories:
Galaxies
Image license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
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Captions in Different Languages:
Image caption: Ein 3000 Lichtjahre langer Jet, der aus dem Kern der Galaxie M87 strömt, aufgenommen mit dem Hubble-Weltraumteleskop. Die Mitte dieses Bildes zeigt den Kern der elliptischen Galaxie M87 (im Sternbild Jungfrau), die einen aktiven galaktischen Kern (AGN) beherbergt.
Ein AGN ist eine sehr leuchtende Region um ein supermassereiches Schwarzes Loch. Er wird durch Materie angetrieben, die in Richtung des Schwarzen Lochs fällt und eine heiße Akkretionsscheibe bildet. Viele Galaxien beherbergen ein supermassereiches Schwarzes Loch, aber nicht alle von ihnen akkretieren genug Materie, um als AGN zu erscheinen.
Die starke Schwerkraft des supermassereichen Schwarzen Lochs im Herzen von M87 hat dazu geführt, dass ein riesiger Strahl von Ladungsteilchen aus der Akkretionsscheibe geschleudert wird. Dieser reicht weit in die Galaxie selbst hinein, über die Kernregion hinaus. Hier sehen wir den Jet als weißlich-blaue Linie, die breiter wird, je weiter sie sich vom Kern entfernt. Die Lichtemission, die wir hier sehen, wird von den energiereichen Elektronen im Jet verursacht, die mit Magnetfeldern wechselwirken.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Lessing (Universität Stanford), E. Baltz (Universität Stanford), M. Shara (AMNH), J. DePasquale (STScI)
Related glossary terms: Akkretionsscheibe , Aktiver Galaktischer Kern , Elliptische Galaxie , Jungfrau Caption translation status: Not yet approved by a reviewer
Caption translators: Emma Krojanski
Image caption: Un getto lungo 3000 anni luce che fuoriesce dal nucleo della galassia M87, ripreso dal telescopio spaziale Hubble. Il centro di questa immagine mostra il nucleo della galassia ellittica M87 (nella costellazione della Vergine) che ospita un nucleo galattico attivo (AGN).
Un AGN è una regione molto luminosa attorno a un buco nero supermassiccio. È alimentata dalla materia che cade verso il buco nero e forma un disco di accrescimento caldo. Molte galassie ospitano un buco nero supermassiccio, ma non tutte accrescono abbastanza materia da apparire come un AGN.
La forte gravità del buco nero supermassiccio nel cuore di M87 ha provocato un enorme getto di particelle cariche elettricamente dal disco di accrescimento. Questo si estende molto all'interno della galassia stessa, oltre la regione del nucleo. Qui vediamo il getto come una linea blu-biancastra che si allarga quanto più si allontana dal nucleo. L'emissione luminosa che vediamo qui è causata dagli elettroni energetici del getto che interagiscono con i campi magnetici.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Lessing (Stanford University), E. Baltz (Stanford University), M. Shara (AMNH), J. DePasquale (STScI)
Related glossary terms: disco di accrescimento , Galassia ellittica , Nucleo galattico attivo , Vergine Caption translation status: Not yet approved by a reviewer
Caption translators: Francesco Salvestrini
