Hubble image archive
Hubble Catches Runaway Quasar
This image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, reveals an unusual sight: a runaway quasar fleeing from its galaxy's central hub. A quasar is the visible, energetic signature of a black hole. Black holes cannot be observed directly, but they are the energy source at the heart...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2017
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2017-12-4003-image
This image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, reveals an unusual sight: a runaway quasar fleeing from its galaxy's central hub. A quasar is the visible, energetic signature of a black hole. Black holes cannot be observed directly, but they are the energy source at the heart of quasars — intense, compact gushers of radiation that can outshine an entire galaxy.
The green dotted line marks the visible periphery of the galaxy. The quasar, named 3C 186, appears as a bright star just off-center. The quasar and its host galaxy reside 8 billion light-years from Earth. Researchers estimate that it took the equivalent energy of 100 million supernovas exploding simultaneously to jettison the black hole. The most plausible explanation for this propulsive energy is that the monster object was given a kick by gravitational waves unleashed by the merger of two hefty black holes at the center of the host galaxy.
The Hubble image combines visible and near-infrared light taken by the Wide Field Camera 3.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and M. Chiaberge (STScI and JHU)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | 3C 186 |
| Object Description | Quasar |
| Distance | 8 billion light-years away |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal , M. Chiaberge (STScI/ESA) |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/UVIS and HST>WFC3/IR |
| Filters | WFC3/UVIS: F606W WFC3/IR: F140W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Cyan: F606W Orange: F140W |
Downloads
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov