1 min read
Warped Disk Around a Bright Black Hole
This diagram shows the geometry of a warped disk of dust surrounding a suspected black hole in the active galaxy NGC 6251. The diagram is based on NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the disk which reveal that only one side reflects light emitted from a suspected black hole, hence the disk is warped.
Such a warp could be due to gravitational perturbations in the galaxy's nucleus that keep the disk from being perfectly flat, or from precession of the rotation axis of the black hole relative to the rotation axis of the galaxy.
Perpendicular to the disk is a jet of high-energy particles blasted into space along the black hole's spin axis.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.16h 32m 31.63s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.82° 32' 16.29"
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.NGC 6251
- Release DateSeptember 10, 1997
- Science ReleaseHubble Finds a Bare Black Hole Pouring Out Light
- CreditJames Gitlin (STScI)
Related Images & Videos
Black Hole's Disk is Flooded With Ultraviolet Light
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided a never-before-seen view of a warped disk flooded with a torrent of ultraviolet light from hot gas trapped around a suspected massive black hole. [Right] This composite image of the core of the galaxy was constructed by combining a...
Share
Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
