Quasar Pair Captured in Galaxy Collision

Chandra_446_1024

chandra_446 February 3rd, 2010

Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/SAO/P. Green et al.), Optical (Carnegie Obs./Magellan/W.Baade Telescope/J.S.Mulchaey et al.)

This composite image shows the effects of two galaxies caught in the act of merging. A Chandra X-ray Observatory image shows a pair of quasars in blue, located about 4.6 billion light years away, but separated on the sky by only about 70 thousand light years. These bright sources, collectively called SDSS J1254+0846, are powered by material falling onto supermassive black holes. An optical image from the Baade-Magellan telescope in Chile, in yellow, shows tidal tails gravitational-stripped streamers of stars and gas -- fanning out from the two colliding galaxies.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2010/sdss/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
SDSS J1254+0846
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Activity > AGN > Quasar
Galaxy > Component > Center/Core
Galaxy > Grouping > Pair

Distance

Universescale3
4,600,000,000 light years
Chandra_446_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 12h 54m 55.0s
DEC = 8° 46’ 51.7”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
1.0 x 1.0 arcminutes
Constellation
Virgo

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Chandra (ACIS) X-ray (X-ray) 862.0 pm
Red Baade (IMACS f/2) Optical (sloan I-band) 780.0 nm
Green Baade (IMACS f/2) Optical (sloan R-band) 650.0 nm
Spectrum_xray1
Blue
Red
Green
Chandra_446_1280
×
ID
446
Subject Category
C.5.3.2.1   C.5.4.9   C.5.5.1  
Subject Name
SDSS J1254+0846
Credits
X-ray (NASA/CXC/SAO/P. Green et al.), Optical (Carnegie Obs./Magellan/W.Baade Telescope/J.S.Mulchaey et al.)
Release Date
2010-02-03
Lightyears
4,600,000,000.00
Redshift
4,600,000,000.00
Reference Url
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2010/sdss/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Chandra, Magellan/Baade, Magellan/Baade
Instrument
ACIS, IMACS f/2, IMACS f/2
Color Assignment
Blue, Red, Green
Band
X-ray, Optical, Optical
Bandpass
X-ray, sloan I-band, sloan R-band
Central Wavelength
0.862, 780, 650
Start Time
2009-02-23T04:02:28, -, -
Integration Time
15967.5, 1200, 1200
Dataset ID
10315, -, -
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
193.7292491, 8.7810382
Reference Dimension
3600.0, 3322.0
Reference Pixel
1801.0, 1662.0
Scale
4.7923e-06, 4.7922969e-06
Rotation
0.00
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
WCS retrieved using CXCs PinpointWCS
Creator (Curator)
Chandra X-ray Observatory
URL
http://chandra.harvard.edu
Name
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Email
cxcpub@cfa.harvard.edu
Telephone
617.496.7941
Address
60 Garden St.
City
Cambridge
State/Province
MA
Postal Code
02138
Country
USA
Rights
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html
Publisher
Chandra X-ray Center
Publisher ID
chandra
Resource ID
Metadata Date
2011-12-05T12:09:27-05:00
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
4,600,000,000 light years

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