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Capturing the Spectacular Outflow from Markarian 817
Rings of brilliant blue stars encircle the bright, active core of this spiral galaxy, whose monster black hole is blasting material into space at 9 million miles an hour.
Viewed nearly face-on, the galaxy, called Markarian 817, shows intense star-forming regions and dark bands of interstellar dust along its spiral arms.
Observations by the new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured the powerful outflow of material from this galaxy.
The COS spectrum of Markarian 817 highlights the outflow's dynamic nature. A gas cloud containing hydrogen gas that was detected in Hubble data taken in 1997 does not appear in the COS observation because the cloud has apparently been driven out by an outflow of material from the galaxy.
This discharge is being powered by a huge disk of matter encircling the supermassive black hole, which is 40 million times more massive than our Sun. The disk is driving the material out of the galaxy through powerful winds, produced by streams of charged particles. Some of the outflow rains back onto the galaxy. The rest settles into the intergalactic gas.
Astronomers want to know how much of the outflow lands in the galaxy and how much escapes into intergalactic space. To achieve this, astronomers need high-quality spectroscopic observations to detect the signatures of the outflowing material, which includes carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. This will allow them to determine the composition, location, and dynamics of the winds that distribute the material.
Markarian 817 is 430 million light-years away in the northern constellation Draco. COS observed the galaxy on August 4, 2009, using its far-ultraviolet detector to distinguish the outflow from the galaxy's core. NASA astronauts installed COS during a servicing mission in May to upgrade and repair the 19-year-old Hubble telescope.
The Hubble image was taken with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 on August 2, 2009. The composite image was made by using filters that isolate light from the blue, green, and infrared portions of the spectrum, as well as emission from glowing hydrogen.
The Hubble observations are part of the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 Early Release Observations.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.14h 36m 22.07s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.58° 47' 39.3"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Draco
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.430 million light-years (132 million parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.The galaxy image is 1.9 arcminutes (232,000 light-years or 71,000 parsecs) wide.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The Hubble images/spectrum were created from data from proposal 11505: K. Noll (STScI) and J. Green, C. Froning, and B. Keeney (University of Colorado, Boulder). Acknowledgments for Markarian 817 Observers: K. Noll (STScI) and J. Green, C. Froning, and B. Keeney (University of Colorado, Boulder) Data Analysis: J. Anderson and M. Mutchler (STScI), and C. Froning and J. Green (University of Colorado, Boulder) Image Composition: Z. Levay and L. Frattare (STScI) Text: L. Frattare, D. Weaver and R. Villard (STScI) Illustrations: A. Feild and Z. Levay (STScI) Video Animation: G. Bacon (STScI) Science Consultants: M. Livio (STScI) and C. Froning and J. Green (University of Colorado, Boulder) - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/UVIS (galaxy) and HST>COS/FUV (spectra)
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.August 2, 2009, Exposure Time: 1.8 hours (galaxy) and August 4, 2009, Exposure Time: 1.0 hour (spectra)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.WFC3/UVIS: F438W (B), F555W (V), F680N (H-alpha + [N II]), and F814W (I) COS spectra: G130M (130nm) and G160M (160nm)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Markarian 817, Mrk 817, QSO J1436+5847
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Active Galaxy
- Release DateSeptember 9, 2009
- Science ReleaseHubble Opens New Eyes on the Universe
- Credits
The galaxy image is a composite of separate exposures made by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Four filters were used to sample broad and narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F438W (B) Green: F555W (V) Red: F680N (H-alpha + [N II]) + F814W (I)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
