SDSS J1254+0846, Merging Galaxies, Composite
Chandra X-ray Observatory image shows a pair of quasars in blue, located about 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. This represents the first time a luminous pair of quasars has been clearly seen in an ongoing galaxy merger. This pair of quasars was first detected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a large-scale astronomical survey of galaxies and quasars. They were observed with the Magellan telescope to determine whether the quasars were close enough to show clear signs of interactions between their host galaxies. This represents strong evidence for the prediction that a pair of quasars would be triggered during a merger. Release date February 3, 2010.
Size: 3600px × 3322px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2010, 21st, active, astronomical, astronomy, binary, body, celestial, century, composite, deep, galactic, galaxies, galaxy, heavenly, image, j1254+0846, merging, nucleus, object, pair, quasar, quasars, quasi-stellar, radio, radio-quiet, science, sdss, sky, source, space
