NGC 7793 with Microquasar, WF Composite
This composite image shows a powerful microquasar containing a black hole in the outskirts of the nearby ( million light years) galaxy NGC 7793. The large image contains data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory in red, green and blue, optical data from the VLT in light blue, and optical emission by hydrogen ("H-alpha") from the CTIO telescope in gold. The upper inset shows a close-up of the X-ray image of the microquasar, which is a system containing a stellar-mass black hole being fed by a companion star. Gas swirling toward the black hole forms a disk around the black hole. Twisted magnetic fields in the disk generate strong electromagnetic forces that propel some of the gas away from the disk at high speeds in two jets, creating a huge bubble of hot gas about 1,000 light years across. The jets in the NGC 7793 microquasar are the most powerful ever seen from a stellar-mass black hole and the data show that a surprising amount of energy from the black hole is being carried away by the jets, rather than by radiation from material being pulled inward. Release date July 7, 2010.
Size: 4200px × 3182px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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