Hubble image archive
Quasar 3C 273 Compass Image
Caption A two-panel image of quasar 3C 273, taken by different Hubble instruments. The top panel is a WFPC2 image of 3C 273. It looks like a bright white car headlight. There’s a linear orange-white smoke-like feature stretching to the 4 o’clock position, an extragalactic jet lau...
- Date
- Dec 5, 2024
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2024-024-01jd5gkk8az2m9f440cd2w736d
Caption
A two-panel image of quasar 3C 273, taken by different Hubble instruments. The top panel is a WFPC2 image of 3C 273. It looks like a bright white car headlight. There’s a linear orange-white smoke-like feature stretching to the 4 o’clock position, an extragalactic jet launched from the quasar in the center of the black hole of an unseen galaxy. Below the title is a color key showing which filters were used to create the image and which color is assigned to each filter: F450W is blue, F606W is orange. Compass arrows at bottom right corner show the orientation of the image on the sky; north arrow points in the 11 o'clock direction; east arrow points toward 8 o'clock. A scale bar at bottom left corner is labeled "182,000 light-years" over "15 arc seconds." The STIS coronagraph image in the bottom panel is roughly the same as the WFPC2 image, but in blue shades. A black circle blocks the glare of the quasar. Blue-colored filamentary material can be seen near the black hole. The extragalactic jet is still visible.
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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