Black Hole Wind Sweeping Away Galactic Gas

Nhsc_nhsc2015-001a_1024

nhsc_nhsc2015-001a March 25th, 2015

Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

Astronomers studying the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy IRAS F11119+3257 have found proof that the winds blowing from the black hole are sweeping away the host galaxys reservoir of raw star-building material.

The finding was made using ESAs Herschel space observatory, together with the Suzaku X-ray astronomy satellite. Combining these data, the astronomers detected the winds being driven by the central black hole in X-rays, and their global effect, pushing the galactic gas away, at infrared wavelengths.

This artists impression shows the connection between these two phenomena.

The winds start small and fast, gusting at about 25% the speed of light in the vicinity of the black hole and blowing away about the equivalent of one solar mass of gas every year. As they progress outwards, the winds slow but sweep up an additional 800 solar masses of molecular gas per year and push it out of the galaxy. This is the first solid proof that black-hole winds are depriving their host galaxies of molecular gas and might ultimately stop their star formation activity.

Provider: Herschel Space Observatory

Image Source: https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/image/nhsc2015-001a

Curator: NASA Herschel Science Center, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/index.php?SiteSection=ImageUsePolicy

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Image Details

Image Type
Artwork
Subject - Local Universe
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Black Hole
Galaxy > Component > Central Black Hole
Galaxy > Activity > AGN
Nhsc_nhsc2015-001a_128
 

Position Details

Position
RA = 0h 0m 0.0s
DEC = 0° 0’ 0.0”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
0.0 x 0.0 arcminutes
Constellation
Pisces
Nhsc_nhsc2015-001a_1280
×
ID
nhsc2015-001a
Subject Category
C.3.1.10   C.5.4.6   C.5.3.2  
Subject Name
Credits
ESA/ATG medialab
Release Date
2015-03-25
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.herschel.caltech.edu/image/nhsc2015-001a
Type
Artwork
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
-
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
-, -
Reference Dimension
-, -
Reference Pixel
-, -
Scale
-, -
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
NASA Herschel Science Center
URL
http://www.herschel.caltech.edu/
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Publisher
NASA Herschel Science Center
Publisher ID
nhsc
Resource ID
Metadata Date
2018-06-21T00:05:40Z
Metadata Version
1.2
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