Stunning new images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show spiral galaxy UGC 3478 in great detail.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows UGC 3478, a spiral galaxy located 128 million light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Koss / A. Barth.
3478 posts It is located in the constellation Camelopardalis and is approximately 128 million light years away from Earth.
Also known as LEDA 19228, INTREF 304, IRAS 06280+6342, Seyfert galaxyA type of galaxy centered around an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
“If you look at the long, star-filled spiral arms and the dark threads of dust that crisscross them, your eye may be drawn to a bright spot at the center of UGC 3478,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“This spot is the core of a galaxy, and there's something very special about it: it's a growing massive black hole, what astronomers call an AGN.”
“As with other active galaxies, the brightness seen here hides a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's centre,” the researchers added.
“A disk of gas spirals into this black hole, and as the material collides and heats up, it emits extremely intense radiation.”
“The spectrum of this radiation includes hard X-ray emission, which makes it clearly distinguishable from stars in the galaxy.”
“Despite the strong brightness of the compact central region, the surrounding galactic disk is still clearly visible, making it a Seyfert galaxy.”
“Astronomers know that many active galaxies are far away from Earth because their nuclei are so bright that they stand out next to other fainter galaxies.”
“Located 128 million light-years away, UGC 3478 is Earth's very own neighbour,” the astronomers said.
The new image of UGC 3478 is Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) is in the near infrared and optical parts of the spectrum.
Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths, and color was generated by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“The data used to create this image come from Hubble Space Telescope surveys of nearby powerful AGNs discovered in such relatively high-energy X-rays and are expected to help us understand how galaxies interact with their central supermassive black holes,” the researchers said.
Source: www.sci.news
