|
|
Gorilla Black Hole in the Mi
…
| Title |
Gorilla Black Hole in the Mist |
| 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. |
|
Anomalous Arms
| Title |
Anomalous Arms |
| Description |
In this composite image of spiral galaxy M106 (NGC 4258), optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey is shown as yellow, radio data from the Very Large Array appears as purple, X-ray data from Chandra is coded blue, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope appears red. Two anomalous arms, which aren't visible at optical wavelengths, appear as purple and blue emission. |
|
Zoom into Chandra's Image of
…
| Name |
Zoom into Chandra's Image of the Mouse |
|
VLA Radio Image of the Mouse
…
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of the Mouse, Full Field |
|
VLA Radio Image of DB01-42
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of DB01-42 |
|
VLA Radio Image of DB00-6
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of DB00-6 |
|
Chandra Image of Perseus Clu
…
| Name |
Chandra Image of Perseus Cluster with VLA Radio Inset |
|
VLA Radio Image of GB1508+57
…
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of GB1508+5714 |
|
Composite Image of 3C321
| Name |
Composite Image of 3C321 |
|
More Images of The Arches Cl
…
| Name |
More Images of The Arches Cluster |
|
VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258 |
|
VLA Radio Image of Quintuple
…
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of Quintuplet Cluster |
|
VLA Radio Image of MS 0735.6
…
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of MS 0735.6+7421 |
|
VLA Radio Image of M87
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of M87 |
|
VLA Radio Image of Galactic
…
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of Galactic Center |
|
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Radio
…
| Name |
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) Radio Image |
|
A Grazing Encounter Between
…
| Title |
A Grazing Encounter Between Two Spiral Galaxies |
| Full Description |
The larger and more massive galaxy is cataloged as NGC 2207 (on the left in the Hubble Heritage image), and the smaller one on the right is IC 2163. Strong tidal forces from NGC 2207 have distorted the shape of IC 2163, flinging out stars and gas into long streamers stretching out a hundred thousand light-years toward the right-hand edge of the image. Computer simulations, carried out by a team led by Bruce and Debra Elmegreen, demonstrate the leisurely timescale over which galactic collisions occur. In addition to the Hubble images, measurements made with the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array Radio Telescope in New Mexico reveal the motions of the galaxies and aid the reconstruction of the collision. The calculations indicate that IC 2163 is swinging past NGC 2207 in a counterclockwise direction, having made its closest approach 40 million years ago. However, IC 2163 does not have sufficient energy to escape from the gravitational pull of NGC 2207, and is destined to be pulled back and swing past the larger galaxy again in the future. The high resolution of the Hubble telescope image reveals dust lanes in the spiral arms of NGC 2207, clearly silhouetted against IC 2163, which is in the background. Hubble also reveals a series of parallel dust filaments extending like fine brush strokes along the tidally stretched material on the right-hand side. The large concentrations of gas and dust in both galaxies may well erupt into regions of active star formation in the near future. Trapped in their mutual orbit around each other, these two galaxies will continue to distort and disrupt each other. Eventually, billions of years from now, they will merge into a single, more massive galaxy. It is believed that many present-day galaxies, including the Milky Way, were assembled from a similar process of coalescence of smaller galaxies occurring over billions of years. This image was created from 3 separate pointings of Hubble. The Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 data sets were obtained by Debra Meloy Elmegreen (Vassar College), Bruce G. Elmegreen (IBM Research Division), Michele Kaufman (Ohio State U.), Elias Brinks (Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico), Curt Struck (Iowa State University), Magnus Thomasson (Onsala Space Obs., Sweden), Maria Sundin (Goteborg University, Sweden), and Mario Klaric (Columbia, South Carolina). |
| Date |
11/04/1999 |
| NASA Center |
Hubble Space Telescope Center |
|
Hubble Spies Supersonic "Com
…
| Title |
Hubble Spies Supersonic "Comet-Clouds" in Heart of Galaxy |
|
Hubble Uncovers Surprisingly
…
| Title |
Hubble Uncovers Surprisingly Complex Structures in Radio Galaxies |
|
Very Long Baseline Array Rev
…
| Title |
Very Long Baseline Array Reveals Formation Region of Giant Cosmic Jet Near a Black Hole |
|
Giant Radio Jet Coming from
…
| Title |
Giant Radio Jet Coming from Wrong Kind of Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Host Galaxy Cluster to Large
…
| Title |
Host Galaxy Cluster to Largest Known Radio Eruption |
| General Information |
What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. This is a new composite image of galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421, located about 2.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis. The three views of the region were taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in Feb. 2006, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in Nov. 2003, and NRAO's Very Large Array in Oct. 2004. The Hubble image shows dozens of galaxies bound together by gravity. In Jan. 2005, astronomers reported that a supermassive black hole, lurking in the central bright galaxy, generated the most powerful outburst seen in the universe. The VLA radio image shows jets of high energy particles (in red) streaming from the black hole. These jets pushed the X-ray emitting hot gas (shown in blue in the Chandra image) aside to create two giant cavities in the gas. The cavities are evidence for the massive eruption. The X-ray and radio images show the enormous appetite of large black holes and the profound impact they have on their surroundings. |
|
Host Galaxy Cluster to Large
…
| Title |
Host Galaxy Cluster to Largest Known Radio Eruption |
| General Information |
What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. This is a new composite image of galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421, located about 2.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis. The three views of the region were taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in Feb. 2006, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in Nov. 2003, and NRAO's Very Large Array in Oct. 2004. The Hubble image shows dozens of galaxies bound together by gravity. In Jan. 2005, astronomers reported that a supermassive black hole, lurking in the central bright galaxy, generated the most powerful outburst seen in the universe. The VLA radio image shows jets of high energy particles (in red) streaming from the black hole. These jets pushed the X-ray emitting hot gas (shown in blue in the Chandra image) aside to create two giant cavities in the gas. The cavities are evidence for the massive eruption. The X-ray and radio images show the enormous appetite of large black holes and the profound impact they have on their surroundings. |
|
Host Galaxy Cluster to Large
…
| Title |
Host Galaxy Cluster to Largest Known Radio Eruption |
| General Information |
What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. This is a new composite image of galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421, located about 2.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis. The three views of the region were taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in Feb. 2006, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in Nov. 2003, and NRAO's Very Large Array in Oct. 2004. The Hubble image shows dozens of galaxies bound together by gravity. In Jan. 2005, astronomers reported that a supermassive black hole, lurking in the central bright galaxy, generated the most powerful outburst seen in the universe. The VLA radio image shows jets of high energy particles (in red) streaming from the black hole. These jets pushed the X-ray emitting hot gas (shown in blue in the Chandra image) aside to create two giant cavities in the gas. The cavities are evidence for the massive eruption. The X-ray and radio images show the enormous appetite of large black holes and the profound impact they have on their surroundings. |
|
Host Galaxy Cluster to Large
…
| Title |
Host Galaxy Cluster to Largest Known Radio Eruption |
| General Information |
What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. This is a new composite image of galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421, located about 2.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Camelopardalis. The three views of the region were taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in Feb. 2006, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in Nov. 2003, and NRAO's Very Large Array in Oct. 2004. The Hubble image shows dozens of galaxies bound together by gravity. In Jan. 2005, astronomers reported that a supermassive black hole, lurking in the central bright galaxy, generated the most powerful outburst seen in the universe. The VLA radio image shows jets of high energy particles (in red) streaming from the black hole. These jets pushed the X-ray emitting hot gas (shown in blue in the Chandra image) aside to create two giant cavities in the gas. The cavities are evidence for the massive eruption. The X-ray and radio images show the enormous appetite of large black holes and the profound impact they have on their surroundings. |
|
Chandra Catches the ?Mouse?
| Name of Image |
Chandra Catches the ?Mouse? |
| Date of Image |
2004-09-24 |
| Full Description |
Astronomers have used an x-ray image to make the first detailed study of the behavior of high-energy particles around a fast moving pulsar. This image, from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), shows the shock wave created as a pulsar plows supersonically through interstellar space. These results will provide insight into theories for the production of powerful winds of matter and antimatter by pulsars. Chandra's image of the glowing cloud, known as the Mouse, shows a stubby bright column of high-energy particles, about four light years in length, swept back by the pulsar's interaction with interstellar gas. The intense source at the head of the X-ray column is the pulsar, estimated to be moving through space at about 1.3 million miles per hour. A cone-shaped cloud of radio-wave-emitting particles envelopes the x-ray column. The Mouse, a.k.a. G359.23-0.82, was discovered in 1987 by radio astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array in New Mexico. G359.23-0.82 gets its name from its appearance in radio images that show a compact snout, a bulbous body, and a remarkable long, narrow, tail that extends for about 55 light years. NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama manages the Chandler program. |
|
Chandra X-Ray Observatory Ca
…
| Name of Image |
Chandra X-Ray Observatory Catches Glimpse of Galaxy Formation in Early Phase |
| Date of Image |
2004-08-13 |
| Full Description |
This image of the galaxy cluster Abell 2125, provided by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), reveals several massive multimillion degree Celsius gas clouds that appear to be in the process of merging. Ten of the point-like sources are associated with galaxies in the cluster and the rest are probably distant background galaxies. The small bright feature in the extreme lower right-hand corner is probably a background galaxy cluster not associated with Abell 2125. The bright gas cloud on the upper left is the core of the cluster and envelopes hundreds of galaxies. It consists of several elongated clouds that are merging. Chandra, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Very Large Array radio telescope data show that several galaxies in the Abell 2125 core cluster are being stripped of their gas as they fall through surrounding high-pressure hot gas. This stripping process has enriched the core cluster's gas in heavy elements such as iron. In contrast, the bright large cloud on the lower right envelopes hundreds of galaxies and has an extraordinarily low concentration of iron atoms. It is thought that this cloud, which is several million light years from the core cluster, has not yet been enriched by the stripping of iron-rich gas from its member galaxies. Over time, as this cloud merges into the core and the hot gas pressure increases, iron atoms should be swept from the galaxies. Building a massive galaxy cluster is a step-by-step enterprise that takes billions of years and affects the growth and evolution of the member galaxies. The observations of A 2125 provide a rare glimpse into the early steps in this process. NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama manages both the Chandra and Hubble programs. (NASA/UMass/D. Wang et al.)) |
|
The Very Large Array of Radi
…
| Title |
The Very Large Array of Radio Telescopes |
| Explanation |
The most photogenic array of radio telescopes [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/radio.html ] in the world has also been one of the most productive. Each of the 27 radio telescopes [ http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/astrolinks_radio.htm ] in the Very Large Array [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Large_Array ] (VLA) is the size of a house [ http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/master02.html ] and can be moved on train tracks. The above pictured [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/intro/vlapix/vlaviews.index.html ] VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990620.html ], inaugurated in 1980 is situated in New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm.us/ ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. The VLA [ http://www.vla.nrao.edu/ ] has been used to discover water on planet Mercury [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/mercuryice/ ], radio-bright coronae around ordinary stars [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/radiostars/ ], micro-quasars in our Galaxy [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/superlum/ ], gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/ering/ ], and radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/1998/grb/ ]. The vast size of the VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?VLA ] has allowed astronomers to study the details of super-fast cosmic jets [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/jets/ ], and even map the center [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/galcenter/ ] of our Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020521.html ]. An upgrade of the VLA [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/evla/ ] is being planned. |
|
The Very Large Array Turns T
…
| Title |
The Very Large Array Turns Twenty |
| Explanation |
The most photogenic array of radio telescopes [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/radio.html ] in the world has also been one of the most productive. Each of the 27 radio telescopes [ http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/astrolinks_radio.htm ] in the Very Large Array [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] (VLA) is the size of a house [ http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/master02.html ] and can be moved on train tracks. The VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990620.html ], celebrating its twentieth year [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/vla20.html ] of operation, is pictured above [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/intro/vlapix/vlaviews.index.html ] in a compact formation in front of Tres Montosas [ http://angeleschapter.org/sps/summits/nm/socorro.htm ], New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm.us/ ], USA [ http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/us.html ]. The VLA [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAhome.shtml ] has been used to discover water on planet Mercury [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/mercury.ice.html ], radio-bright coronae around ordinary stars [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/radiostars.html ], micro-quasars in our Galaxy [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/superlum.html ], gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/einstein.ring.html ], and radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/grb.html ]. The vast size of the VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?VLA ] has allowed astronomers to study the details of super-fast cosmic jets [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/jets.html ], and even map the center of our Galaxy [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/galcenter.html ]. An upgrade of the VLA [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/evla.decadereview.html ] is being planned [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/vla/html/Upgrade/Upgrade_home.shtml ]. |
|
A Big Dish at the VLA Radio
…
| Title |
A Big Dish at the VLA Radio Observatory |
| Explanation |
They are so large, they are almost unreal. The radio dishes of the Very Large Array [ http://www.vla.nrao.edu/ ] (VLA) of radio telescopes [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/radio.html ] might appear to some as a strange combination of a dinosaur skeleton [ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/games/skeleton_jigsaw/skeletal_jigsaws/index.shtml ] and common satellite-TV receiving dish [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_dish ]. Together, the 27 dishes of the VLA [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Large_Array ] combine high sensitivity with high resolution, enabling a series of important astronomical discoveries, including water ice on planet Mercury [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/mercuryice/ ], micro-quasars in our Galaxy [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/superlum/ ], gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2000/vla20/background/ering/ ], and radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/1998/grb/ ]. Pictured above, a dish from the VLA was photographed last week near Socorro [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socorro%2C_New_Mexico ], New Mexico [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico ], USA [ https://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. |
|
IC443's Neutron Star
| Title |
IC443's Neutron Star |
| Explanation |
Using x-ray data [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/1083/index.html ] from the orbiting Chandra Observatory [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/ ] along with radio data from the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000530.html ], a team of researchers has discovered evidence for [ http://astro.ncssm.edu/ ] a new example of one of the most bizarre objects known to modern astrophysics -- a neutron star [ http://www.astro.umd.edu/~miller/ nstar.html#isolated ]. Embedded within supernova remnant IC443 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970502.html ], the suspected neutron star appears as the reddish source at the lower right in this false-color x-ray image. Perhaps 20 kilometers across but with more mass than the Sun, this ultracompact object is the collapsed core of a massive star. The core collapsed when the star, located a reassuring 5,000 light-years [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/ question94.htm ] away in the constellation Gemini [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ ast08dec_1.htm ], exploded long ago. How long ago? Judging from the characteristic bow wave [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001025.html ] shape of the x-ray nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980425.html ] the researchers have estimated the speed of the neutron star as it plows away from the explosion site. Comparing the speed to the measured distance traveled from the center of IC443, the team [ http://phywww1.ncssm.edu/physics/physics.htm ], three high school students and a teacher from the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics, calculated that the light from the supernova explosion arrived at Earth about 30,000 years ago. |
|
3C175: Quasar Cannon
| Title |
3C175: Quasar Cannon |
| Explanation |
3C175 is not only a quasar, it is a galaxy-fueled particle cannon. Visible as the central dot is quasar [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/96/35/quasar.html ] 3C175, the active center of a galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961125.html ] so distant [ http://isaac.exploratorium.edu/~pauld/activities/astronomy/cityuniversesize.html ] that the light we see from it was emitted when the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ] was just forming [ http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/niel/scales/geohist1.ascii ]. The above image [ http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~abridle/3c175.htm ] was recorded in radio waves [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ] by an array of house-sized telescopes called the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000530.html ] (VLA). Shooting out from 3C175 is a thin jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000706.html ] of protons [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/proton.html ] and electrons [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] traveling near the speed of light [ http://www.what-is-the-speed-of-light.com/ ] that is over one million light-years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] long. The jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000619.html ] acts like a particle cannon [ http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_wendwar.html ] and bores through gas cloud in its path. How this jet [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010816.html ] forms and why it is so narrow remain topics of current [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1994AJ....108..766B ] research [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1999ApJ...511...84H ]. |
|
Jets from Radio Galaxy 3C296
| Title |
Jets from Radio Galaxy 3C296 |
| Explanation |
Jets of streaming plasma [ http://www.plasmas.org/basics.htm ] expelled by the central black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht.html ] of a massive elliptical galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/elliptical_galaxies.html ] likely light up this composite image of 3C296 [ http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/atlas/object/3C296.html ]. The jets emanating from NGC 5532 [ http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/HIGHLIGHT/2001/highlight0103_e.html ] and are nearly a million light years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] long. Exactly how the central black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010508.html ] expels the infalling matter is still unknown. After clearing the galaxy, however, the jets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991129.html ] inflate large radio bubbles that could glow for millions of years. If excited by a passing front, radio bubbles [ http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~abridle/images.htm ] can even light up again after a billion years. Visible light is depicted in the above image [ http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~abridle/3c296digss.htm ] in blue, while radio waves [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/radio.html ] are shown in red. The radio map was created with the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000530.html ] of radio telescopes [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/radio.html ]. |
|
The Very Large Array of Radi
…
| Title |
The Very Large Array of Radio Telescopes |
| Explanation |
The most photogenic array of radio telescopes [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/radio.html ] in the world has also been one of the most productive. Each of the 27 radio telescopes [ http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/astrolinks_radio.htm ] in the Very Large Array [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] (VLA) is the size of a house [ http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod02/master02.html ] and can be moved on train tracks. The above pictured [ http://www.nrao.edu/imagegallery/vla2/picture-006.html ] VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990620.html ], celebrating its twenty-second year [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/vla20.html ] of operation, is situated in New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm.us/ ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. The VLA [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAhome.shtml ] has been used to discover water on planet Mercury [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/mercury.ice.html ], radio-bright coronae around ordinary stars [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/radiostars.html ], micro-quasars in our Galaxy [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/superlum.html ], gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/einstein.ring.html ], and radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/grb.html ]. The vast size of the VLA [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?VLA ] has allowed astronomers to study the details of super-fast cosmic jets [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/jets.html ], and even map the center [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/vla20/galcenter.html ] of our Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020521.html ]. An upgrade of the VLA [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/pr/evla.decadereview.html ] is being planned [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/evla/ ]. |
|
The Galactic Center - A Radi
…
| Title |
The Galactic Center - A Radio Mystery |
| Explanation |
Tuning in [ http://www.astrocappella.com/cosrad.shtml ] to the center of our Milky Way galaxy, radio astronomers [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/intro/ham.connection.html ] explore a complex, mysterious place. A premier high resolution view, this startlingly beautiful picture [ http://rsd-www.nrl.navy.mil/7213/lazio/GC/ ] covers a 4x4 degree region around the galactic center. It was constructed from 1 meter wavelength radio data obtained by telescopes of the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020528.html ] near Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The galactic center [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast05sep_1.htm ] itself is at the edge of the extremely bright object labeled Sagittarius (Sgr) A, suspected of harboring a million solar mass black hole. Along the galactic plane which runs diagonally through the image are tortured clouds of gas energized by hot stars and bubble-shaped supernova remnants (SNRs) - hallmarks of a violent [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010910.html ] and energetic cosmic environment [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020110.html ]. But perhaps most intriguing are the arcs, threads, and filaments [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020521.html ] which abound in the scene. Their uncertain origins challenge present theories of the dynamics of the galactic center. |
|
A Very Large Array of Radio
…
| Title |
A Very Large Array of Radio Telescopes |
| Explanation |
Pictured above is one of the world's premiere radio astronomical observatories: The Very Large Array [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] (VLA). Each antenna dish is as big as a house [ http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html ] (25 meters across) and mounted on railroad tracks [ http://hamlet.phyast.pitt.edu/exhibit/neighborhoods/south/south_n226.html ]. The VLA consists of 27 dishes - together capable of spanning the size of a city (35 kilometers). The VLA [ http://www.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] is the most sensitive radio telescope [ http://www.nro.nao.ac.jp/~kotaro/RTs/rts.html ] ever, and, through interferometry [ http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~eww/physics/node1037.html#SECTION000939000000000000000 ], can resolve a golf ball-sized radio source 150 kilometers away (0.04 arcsec). The VLA [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/obstatus/vlas/vlas.html ] is continually making new discoveries, including determining the composition of galaxies [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-1-11-95.html ], passing comets [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-3-14-96.html ], quasars [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-article_query?bibcode=1993ApJ%2E%2E%2E402%2E%2E514K&page=1&plate_select=NO&type=GIF ], HII regions [ http://www.aas.org/ApJ/v449n2/5225/sc0.html ], and clusters of galaxies [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-article_query?bibcode=1995AJ%2E%2E%2E%2E109%2E%2E853L&page=1&plate_select=NO&type=GIF ]. The VLA is also used to receive the weak radio signals broadcast from interplanetary spacecraft [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-11-16-95.html ]. The VLA is located in New Mexico [ http://www.viva.com/nm/nmhome.html ], USA. A significant upgrade [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-6-10-96.html ] of VLA's capabilities is planned. |
|
Twin Proto-Planetary Disks
| Title |
Twin Proto-Planetary Disks |
| Explanation |
Sun-like stars [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/sun_parts.html ] are forming - and probably planets too [ http://wwwusr.obspm.fr/departement/darc/planets/encycl.html ] - hidden inside [ http://donald.phast.umass.edu/theses/dianne/chap1/node5.html ] Lynds 1551, an interstellar cloud of molecular gas and dust in the constellation [ http://www.mtwilson.edu/Education/ConQuiz/ ] Taurus. Using new receivers, coordinated radio telescopes at the Very Large Array [ http://www.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAhome.shtml ] near Socorro, New Mexico, USA, can now sharply image the dusty proto-planetary disks surrounding these young stars at radio wavelengths. Just announced, this exciting example [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/protodisks.html ] shows a false-color radio [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980917.html ] picture of twin disks in a double star system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970219.html ]! A yellow bar indicates the scale in astronomical units (AUs) where one AU is the average distance between the Earth and Sun. The stars (unseen near the center of each disk) are about 45 AUs apart, comparable to the radius of the orbit of Pluto [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html ]. Similar proto-planetary disks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980423.html ] have been seen around single stars, but these twin disks are much smaller, each limited in size by the gravity of the nearby companion star [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/kepler_binary.htm ]. In fact, if large planets form orbiting near the edges of these disks they may be ejected from the binary system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980529.html ]. |
|
The Galactic Center - A Radi
…
| Title |
The Galactic Center - A Radio Mystery |
| Explanation |
Tuning in [ http://www.pagecreations.com/astrocappella/welcome.html ] to the center of our Milky Way galaxy, radio astronomers explore a complex, mysterious place. A premier high resolution view, this startlingly beautiful picture [ http://rsd-www.nrl.navy.mil/7213/lazio/GC/ ] covers a 4x4 degree region around the galactic center. It was constructed from 1 meter wavelength radio data obtained by telescopes of the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970727.html ] near Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The galactic center [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971111.html ] itself is at the edge of the extremely bright object labeled Sagittarius (Sgr) A, suspected of harboring a million solar mass black hole. Along the galactic plane which runs diagonally through the image are tortured clouds of gas energized by hot stars and round-shaped supernova remnants (SNRs) - hallmarks of a violent [ http://www.astro.nwu.edu/astro/purcell/511kev_press_release/ ] and energetic cosmic environment [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980729.html ]. But perhaps most intriguing are the arcs, threads, and filaments [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1991MNRAS%2E249%2E%2E262A&db_key=AST ] which abound in the scene. Their uncertain origins challenge present theories of the dynamics of the galactic center. |
|
The Large and Small of M87
| Title |
The Large and Small of M87 |
| Explanation |
The small core of elliptical galaxy M87 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950913.html ] appears to be energizing its whole galactic neighborhood. Recent images [ http://www.nrao.edu/pr/m87big.html ] from the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970727.html ] (VLA) of radio telescopes [ http://www.nro.nao.ac.jp/~kotaro/RTs/rts.html ] indicate that huge bubbles of hot gas not only exist but are still being created. These bubbles measure 200,000 light-years across and surround the entire galaxy [ http://www.nrao.edu/~fowen/M87.html ]. The source creating and feeding the bubbles has been traced to jets [ http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/merlin/about/layman/jet.html ] pointing back to M87's center [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970405.html ], where a supermassive black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970114.html ] is thought to live. The smallest scale on the above radio-map [ http://www.nrao.edu/~fowen/M87_halo.html ] is 0.2 light-years and imaged by many radio telescopes working together (VLBI [ http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/merlin/about/layman/vlbi.html ]). The labeled numbers refer to the wavelength of the radio waves observed. The exact composition of these jets is not known [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1993MNRAS.264..228C&db_key=AST&high=34f6e1de7f07509 ], but thought to contain various subatomic particles [ http://pdg.lbl.gov/cpep/adventure_home.html ]. |
|
A Very Large Array of Radio
…
| Title |
A Very Large Array of Radio Telescopes |
| Explanation |
Pictured above is one of the world's premiere radio astronomical observatories: The Very Large Array [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] (VLA). Each antenna dish is as big as a house [ http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html ] (25 meters across) and mounted on railroad tracks. The VLA consists of 27 dishes - together capable of spanning the size of a city (35 kilometers). The VLA [ http://www.nrao.edu/vla/html/VLAintro.shtml ] is the most sensitive radio telescope [ http://www.nro.nao.ac.jp/~kotaro/RTs/rts.html ] ever, and, through interferometry [ http://www.sciam.com/0297issue/0297massonnet.html ], can resolve a golf ball-sized radio source 150 kilometers away (0.04 arcsec). The VLA [ http://info.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/vla/obstatus/vlas/vlas.html ] is continually making new discoveries, including determining the composition of galaxies [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-1-11-95.html ], passing comets [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1998AJ....116..987D ], quasars [ http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1993ApJ...402..514K ], HII regions [ http://www.astro.uni-jena.de/Users/mfeldt/uchr/uchr.html ], and clusters of galaxies [ http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1995AJ....109..853L ]. The VLA is also used to receive the weak radio signals broadcast from interplanetary spacecraft [ http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/doc/pr/press-11-16-95.html ]. The VLA is located in New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm.us/ ], USA. A significant upgrade [ http://www.nrao.edu/vla/html/Upgrade/WhatIsIt.shtml ] of VLA's capabilities is planned. |
|
Sundogs over the VLA
| Title |
Sundogs over the VLA |
| Explanation |
What if you woke up one morning and saw more than one Sun in the sky? Most probably, you would be seeing sundogs [ http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/ice/sd.rxml ], extra-images of the Sun [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/sol.html ] created by falling ice-crystals [ http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/lc/halo/crystals.htm ] in the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ]. As water freezes in the atmosphere, small, flat, six-sided, ice crystals [ http://kristall.uni-mki.gwdg.de/homep1.htm ] might be formed. As these crystals flutter to the ground, much time is spent with their faces flat, parallel to the ground. An observer may pass through the same plane as many of the falling ice crystals [ http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF11/1180.html ] near sunrise or sunset. During this alignment, each crystal can act like a miniature lens, refracting [ http://wigner.byu.edu/LightRefract/LightRefract.html ] sunlight into our view and creating parhelia [ http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/lc/halo/plates.htm ], the technical term for sundogs. Sundogs [ http://www.members.tripod.com/~regenbogen/ee01ee02/ee02_11.htm ] were photographed here in a cloudy sky above the Very Large Array [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990620.html ] of radio telescopes [ http://casswww.ucsd.edu/physics/ph7/Radio_Tel.html ]. The real Sun is near the center above the train tracks. A bright sundog [ http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1422.html ] is visible on the far right, and a dim one on the far left. Ice-crystals can create other strange illusions of the Sun and Moon [ http://www.members.tripod.com/~regenbogen/indexe.htm ] including halos [ http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/ice/halo/22.rxml ] and pillars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990706.html ] |
|
The Early Cosmos
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Stars are forming in Henize
…
511789main_he210_print4
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2011-01-24 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
511789main_he210_print4 |
|
Gorilla Black Hole in the Mi
…
PIA08001
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
…
| Title |
Gorilla Black Hole in the Mist |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
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. |
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