Hubble image archive
Black Hole Pair Embedded in Middle of Active Galaxy MCG-03-34-064
Caption A Hubble Space Telescope visible-light image of the galaxy MCG-03-34-064. Hubble's sharp view reveals three distinct bright spots embedded in a white ellipse at the galaxy's center (expanded in an inset image at upper right). Two of these bright spots are the source of st...
- Date
- Sep 9, 2024
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2024-022-01j4sdydn0fe5mvd46nf8842d4
Caption
A Hubble Space Telescope visible-light image of the galaxy MCG-03-34-064. Hubble's sharp view reveals three distinct bright spots embedded in a white ellipse at the galaxy's center (expanded in an inset image at upper right). Two of these bright spots are the source of strong X-ray emission, a telltale sign that they are supermassive black holes. The black holes shine brightly because they are converting infalling matter into energy, and blaze across space as active galactic nuclei. Their separation is about 300 light-years. The third spot is a blob of bright gas. The blue streak pointing to the 5 o'clock position may be a jet fired from one of the black holes. The black hole pair is a result of a merger between two galaxies that will eventually collide.
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | MCG-03-34-064 |
| Object Description | Galaxy with Two Active Galactic Nuclei |
| About The Image | |
| Compass and Scale Image | An astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made. |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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