NGC 4151, Seyfert Galaxy, Composite
This composite image shows the central region of the spiral galaxy NGC 4151. In the "pupil" of the eye, X-rays (blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are combined with optical data (yellow) showing positively charged hydrogen ("H II") from observations with the 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma. The red around the pupil shows neutral hydrogen detected by radio observations with the NSF's Very Large Array. This neutral hydrogen is part of a structure near the center of NGC 4151 that has been distorted by gravitational interactions with the rest of the galaxy, and includes material falling towards the center of the galaxy. The yellow blobs around the red ellipse are regions where star formation has recently occurred. NGC 4151 is an intermediate spiral Seyfert galaxy located 43 million light years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy was first mentioned by William Herschel on March 17, 1787. It was one of the two Seyfert galaxies described in the paper which defined the term. It is one of the nearest galaxies to Earth to contain an actively growing supermassive black hole. The structure has been dubbed "The Eye of Sauron" by astronomers due to its resemblance to the character in "The Lord of the Rings" movies. Release date March 10, 2011.
Size: 3600px × 3600px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2011, 21st, 4151, astronomical, astronomy, body, celestial, century, composite, deep, eye, galaxies, galaxy, heavenly, image, ngc, object, sauron, science, seyfert, sky, space, spiral
