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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Gorilla Black Hole in the Mist
Title
Gorilla Black Hole in the Mist
Title
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Description:
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This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a distant galaxy (yellow) that houses a quasar, a super-massive black hole circled by a ring, or torus, of gas and dust. Spitzer's infrared eyes cut through the dust to find this hidden object, which appears to be a member of the long-sought population of missing quasars. The green and blue splotches are galaxies that do not hold quasars.
Astronomers had predicted that most quasars are blocked from our view by their tori, or by surrounding dust-drenched galaxies, making them difficult to find. Because infrared light can travel through gas and dust, Spitzer was able to detect enough of these objects to show that there is most likely a large population of obscured quasars.
In addition to the quasar-bearing galaxy shown here, Spitzer discovered 20 others in a small patch of sky. Astronomers identified the quasars with the help of radio data from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico. While normal galaxies do not produce strong radio waves, many galaxies with quasars appear bright when viewed with radio telescopes.
In this image, infrared data from Spitzer is colored both blue (3.6 microns) and green (24 microns), and radio data from the Very Large Array telescope is colored red. The quasar-bearing galaxy stands out in yellow because it emits both infrared and radio light.
Of the 21 quasars uncovered by Spitzer, astronomers believe that 10 are hidden by their dusty tori, while the rest are altogether buried in dusty galaxies. The quasar inside the galaxy pictured here is of the type that is obscured by its torus.
Description
This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a distant galaxy (yellow) that houses a quasar, a super-massive black hole circled by a ring, or torus, of gas and dust. Spitzer's infrared eyes cut through the dust to find this hidden object, which appears to be a member of the long-sought population of missing quasars. The green and blue splotches are galaxies that do not hold quasars.
Astronomers had predicted that most quasars are blocked from our view by their tori, or by surrounding dust-drenched galaxies, making them difficult to find. Because infrared light can travel through gas and dust, Spitzer was able to detect enough of these objects to show that there is most likely a large population of obscured quasars.
In addition to the quasar-bearing galaxy shown here, Spitzer discovered 20 others in a small patch of sky. Astronomers identified the quasars with the help of radio data from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico. While normal galaxies do not produce strong radio waves, many galaxies with quasars appear bright when viewed with radio telescopes.
In this image, infrared data from Spitzer is colored both blue (3.6 microns) and green (24 microns), and radio data from the Very Large Array telescope is colored red. The quasar-bearing galaxy stands out in yellow because it emits both infrared and radio light.
Of the 21 quasars uncovered by Spitzer, astronomers believe that 10 are hidden by their dusty tori, while the rest are altogether buried in dusty galaxies. The quasar inside the galaxy pictured here is of the type that is obscured by its torus.
Description
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Release Date:
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2005/08/03
Release_Date
2005/08/03
Release Date
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Press Release:
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Press_Release
Press Release
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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AMS08
Object_name
AMS08
Object name
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Object type:
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Dust-Obscured Quasar
Object_type
Dust-Obscured Quasar
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *17h14m29.67s *Dec: *59d32m33.50s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *17h14m29.67s *Dec: *59d32m33.50s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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3.5 billion light-years/1.0 billion parsecs
Distance
3.5 billion light-years/1.0 billion parsecs
Distance
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Constellation:
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Draco
Constellation
Draco
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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3.6 microns (blue), 24 microns (green), 21 cm (red, from the NRAO Very Large Array)
Wavelength
3.6 microns (blue), 24 microns (green), 21 cm (red, from the NRAO Very Large Array)
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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2x2 arcmin
Image_scale
2x2 arcmin
Image scale
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Observers:
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A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
S. Rawlings (Oxford University)
M. Lacy (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
D. Fadda (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
F.R. Marleau (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
C. Simpson (University of Durham)
C.J. Willott (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics)
M.J. Jarvis (Oxford University)
Observers
A. Martinez-Sansigre (Oxford University)
S. Rawlings (Oxford University)
M. Lacy (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
D. Fadda (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
F.R. Marleau (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
C. Simpson (University of Durham)
C.J. Willott (Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics)
M.J. Jarvis (Oxford University)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC MIPS
Instrument
IRAC MIPS
Instrument
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Orientation:
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North is up
Orientation
North is up
Orientation
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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MIPS
facet_what
MIPS
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Draco
facet_what
Draco
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Very Large Array
facet_what
Very Large Array
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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New Mexico
facet_where
New Mexico
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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Image #:
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ssc2005-17a
Image_#
ssc2005-17a
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-ssc2005-17 a
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2005-17 a
UID
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