NGC 4696: Filaments around a Black Hole
Explanation:
What's happening at the center of elliptical galaxy NGC 4696?
There, long tendrils of gas and dust have been imaged in great detail as shown by
this
recently released image
from the
Hubble Space
Telescope.
These filaments appear to connect to the
central region of the galaxy,
a region thought occupied by a
supermassive black hole.
Speculation holds
that this black hole pumps out energy that heats surrounding gas,
pushes out cooler filaments of gas and
dust, and shuts down
star formation.
Balanced by
magnetic fields, these filaments then appear to
spiral back in
toward and eventually circle the central
black hole.
NGC 4696 is the largest galaxy in the
Centaurus Cluster of Galaxies, located about 150 million light years
from Earth.
The
featured image shows a region about 45,000 light years across.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
