Suggested Searches

1 min read

MCG-03-34-064 Compass Image

Image titled "MCG-03-34-064, HST ACS" with color key, scale bar, and compass arrows. A Hubble Space Telescope visible-light image of the galaxy MCG-03-34-064 appears as an orange spiral. It has a blue center (expanded in an inset image at upper right) with three bright spots embedded in a white ellipse at the galaxy's center. Two of these bright spots are the source of strong X-ray emission, a telltale sign that they are supermassive black holes converting matter to energy. Below the image title (at upper left) is a color key showing ACS filters "FR505N" in blue and "F814W I" in red. At bottom left, the scale bar is labeled "11,000 light-years over 10 arcsec." At bottom right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 12 o'clock position. The east arrow points in the 9 o'clock position.

Image titled "MCG-03-34-064, HST ACS" with color key, scale bar, and compass arrows. A Hubble Space Telescope visible-light image of the galaxy MCG-03-34-064. Hubble's sharp view reveals three distinct bright spots embedded in a white ellipse at the galaxy's center (expanded in an inset image at upper right). Two of these bright spots are the source of strong X-ray emission, a telltale sign that they are supermassive black holes. The black holes shine brightly because they are converting infalling matter into energy, and blaze across space as active galactic nuclei. Their separation is about 300 light-years. The third spot is a blob of bright gas. The blue streak pointing to the 5 o'clock position may be a jet fired from one of the black holes. The black hole pair is a result of a merger between two galaxies that will eventually collide.

  • Release Date
    September 9, 2024
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble, Chandra Find Supermassive Black Hole Duo
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Anna Trindade Falcão (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Display), 2118 × 1696
    png (4.22 MB)
  • Full Res (For Print), 2118 × 1696
    tif (5.19 MB)
  • 2000 × 1602
    jpg (821.9 KB)

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov