Hubble image archive
Quasar Host Galaxy Markarian 231
This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a bright starlike glow in the center of the interacting galaxy Markarian 231, the nearest quasar to Earth. Located 581 million light-years away, we are seeing the galaxy as it looked before multicelled life first appeared on Earth. Quasar...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2015
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2015-31-3626-image
This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a bright starlike glow in the center of the interacting galaxy Markarian 231, the nearest quasar to Earth. Located 581 million light-years away, we are seeing the galaxy as it looked before multicelled life first appeared on Earth. Quasars are powered by a central black hole that heats the gas around it to unleash tremendous amounts of energy. Hubble spectroscopic observations infer the presence of two supermassive black holes whirling around each other. Because such a dynamic duo is found in the nearest quasar, it would imply that many quasars host binary-black-hole systems. It would be a natural result of a galaxy merger.
Credits
NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Markarian 231, Mrk 231, UGC 8058, VII Zw 490, QSO B1254+571 |
| Object Description | Quasar with a Binary Black Hole |
| R.A. Position | 12h 56m 14.23s |
| Dec. Position | 56° 52' 25.24" |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Distance | 581 million light-years (178 million parsecs) |
| 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). Several Hubble archival spectral observations of Mrk 231 were used in these science findings: Proposal : PI: R. Angel (U. Arizona) Proposal : PI: D. Turnshek (U. Pittsburgh) Proposal : PI: S. Veilleux (U. Maryland) |
| Instrument | HST>FOS, and HST>COS |
| Exposure Dates | November 27, 1992, November 21, 1996, and October 15, 2011 |
| Filters | Gratings: G190/270H, G160L, and G130M |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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