Jets and explosions in NGC 7793

Esahubble_potw1438a_1024

esahubble_potw1438a September 22nd, 2014

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Acknowledgement: D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team

This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 7793, a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Sculptor some 13 million light-years away from Earth. NGC 7793 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Sculptor Group, and one of the closest groups of galaxies to the Local Group the group of galaxies containing our galaxy, the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. The image shows NGC 7793s spiral arms and small central bulge. Unlike some other spirals, NGC 7793 doesnt have a very pronounced spiral structure, and its shape is further muddled by the mottled pattern of dark dust that stretches across the frame. The occasional burst of bright pink can be seen in the galaxy, highlighting stellar nurseries containing newly-forming baby stars. Although it may look serene and beautiful from our perspective, this galaxy is actually a very dramatic and violent place. Astronomers have discovered a powerful microquasar within NGC 7793 a system containing a black hole actively feeding on material from a companion star. While many full-sized quasars are known at the cores of other galaxies, it is unusual to find a quasar in a galaxys disc rather than at its centre. Micro-quasars are almost like scale models they allow astronomers to study quasars in detail. As material falls inwards towards this black hole, it creates a swirling disc around it. Some of the infalling gas is propelled violently outwards at extremely high speeds, creating jets streaking out into space in opposite directions. In the case of NGC 7793, these jets are incredibly powerful, and are in the process of creating an expanding bubble of hot gas some 1000 light-years across.

Provider: Hubble Space Telescope | ESA

Image Source: https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1438a/

Curator: ESA/Hubble, Garching bei München, Germany

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
NGC 7793
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy > Type > Spiral
Esahubble_potw1438a_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 23h 57m 51.1s
DEC = -32° 35’ 9.9”
Orientation
North is 44.9° CCW
Field of View
2.7 x 2.6 arcminutes
Constellation
Sculptor

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Red Hubble (WFC3) Ultraviolet (UV) 275.0 nm
Blue Hubble (WFC3) Ultraviolet (U) 336.0 nm
Blue Hubble (WFC3) Optical (B) 438.0 nm
Green Hubble (WFC3) Optical (V) 555.0 nm
Red Hubble (WFC3) Infrared (I) 814.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Red
Blue
Blue
Green
Red
Esahubble_potw1438a_1280
×
ID
potw1438a
Subject Category
C.5.1.1  
Subject Name
NGC 7793
Credits
ESA/Hubble & NASA Acknowledgement: D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team
Release Date
2014-09-22T10:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1438a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope
Instrument
WFC3, WFC3, WFC3, WFC3, WFC3
Color Assignment
Red, Blue, Blue, Green, Red
Band
Ultraviolet, Ultraviolet, Optical, Optical, Infrared
Bandpass
UV, U, B, V, I
Central Wavelength
275, 336, 438, 555, 814
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
359.462958891, -32.5860908748
Reference Dimension
4113.0, 3977.0
Reference Pixel
2056.0, 1988.0
Scale
-1.10185443889e-05, 1.10185443889e-05
Rotation
44.8599999999997
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
ESA/Hubble
URL
http://www.spacetelescope.org/
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
City
Garching bei München
State/Province
Postal Code
D-85748
Country
Germany
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
ESA/Hubble
Publisher ID
esahubble
Resource ID
potw1438a
Metadata Date
2014-05-23T18:05:12+02:00
Metadata Version
1.1
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×

There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

Providers | Sign In