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Hubble Witnesses Flare-Up in Extragalactic Jet
These images taken in ultraviolet light by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveal the brightening of a jet of gas blasting from the core of the gigantic elliptical galaxy M87. M87 is located 54 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster.
The flare-up is coming from a knot of hot gas, called HST-1, embedded in the jet. The jet is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole, one of the most massive black holes yet discovered.
Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) snapped the top row of images and Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) the bottom row. The core of M87 is located at lower left in the images. HST-1 is the bright blob at center. The glowing material at far right is part of a stream of particles in the jet that speed up and glow in the ultraviolet.
The Hubble images, obtained from the Hubble archive, show the jet growing brighter over a seven-year period, eventually outshining even the luminous core of M87. The ACS image taken on May 9, 2005, reveals that HST-1 has become brighter than M87's core. HST-1 is 214 light-years from the core.
Hubble's crisp vision gives astronomers a clear view of the brightening knot. The telescope resolves HST-1 and separates it from the galaxy's core.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.12h 30m 49.42s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.12° 23' 28.02"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Virgo
- 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.54 million light-years (17 megaparsecs)
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. - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>STIS/MAMA and HST>ACS/HRC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.May 1999 - December 2006
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.STIS: F25QTZ ACS: F220W and F250W
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.M87 Jet
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Giant Elliptical Galaxy with Jet
- Release DateApril 14, 2009
- Science ReleaseHubble Witnesses Spectacular Flaring in Gas Jet from M87’s Black Hole
- Credit
Related Images & Videos
M87 Jet – Knot Flaring (Narration Only)
Hubble astronomers have watched a knot in the jet of gas and radiation from M87's black hole that appears to brighten steadily for several years, then fade, only to brighten again. While researchers can't be sure what's causing this phenomenon, some speculate the jet is hitting...
M87 Jet – Knot Flaring (Annotated)
This annotated movie shows a zoom into the giant elliptical galaxy M87. Inside that galaxy is one of the most massive black holes discovered to date. Hubble astronomers are focusing their attention on a narrow jet of gas and radiation coming from that black hole. That jet seems...
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
