Hubble image archive
Optical-to-Ultraviolet Spectrum of Markarian 231
This simplified spectral plot shows the radiation emitted from the center of a nearby galaxy that hosts a quasar. Visible and infrared light coming from a disk surrounding a central black hole in the middle of the galaxy is measured. Surprisingly, ultraviolet light from the disk,...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2015
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2015-31-3625-image
This simplified spectral plot shows the radiation emitted from the center of a nearby galaxy that hosts a quasar. Visible and infrared light coming from a disk surrounding a central black hole in the middle of the galaxy is measured. Surprisingly, ultraviolet light from the disk, as measured by the Hubble Space Telescope, shows a drop in radiation from the disk. This is evidence for a large gap in the center of the disk that is likely carved out by a second black hole orbiting the primary black hole.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and P. Jeffries (STScI)Image Details
| About The Data | |
|---|---|
| Data Description | The Hubble image was created using HST data from proposal : A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University). The galaxy pair was imaged with the ACS/WFC instrument with filters F435W (B) and F814W (I) on May 10, 2002. The science team comprises: C.-S. Yan and Y. Lu (National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing), X. Dai (University of Oklahoma), and Q. Yu (Peking University). |
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