Feed aggregator
Solar eclipse 2024: Live updates
Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays
2 min read
Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. SunThis NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. This swirling collection of new and old stars is located in the constellation Virgo, in the Virgo galaxy cluster, 100 million light-years from Earth. Although IC 776 is a dwarf galaxy, it’s also classified as a SAB-type or ‘weakly barred’ spiral. This highly detailed Hubble view demonstrates that complexity. IC 776 has a ragged, disturbed disc that appears to spiral around the core with arcs of star-forming regions.
The image is from an observation program dedicated to the study of dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster that is searching for the visible light emissions from sources of X-rays in these galaxies. X-rays are often emitted by accretion discs, where material that is drawn into a compact object by gravity crashes together and forms a hot, glowing disc. The compact object can be a white dwarf or neutron star in a binary pair that is stealing material from its companion star, or it can be the supermassive black hole at the heart of a galaxy devouring material around it. Dwarf galaxies like IC 776, traveling through the Virgo cluster, experience pressure from intergalactic gas that is similar to the pressure you feel from air hitting your face when you ride a bicycle. This intergalactic gas pressure can both stimulate star formation and feed the central black hole in a galaxy. As more material swirls down toward the black hole, it creates an energetic accretion disc, hot enough to emit X-rays.
While Hubble is not able to see X-rays, it can coordinate with X-ray telescopes such as NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, revealing the sources of this radiation in high resolution using visible light. Dwarf galaxies are very important to our understanding of cosmology and the evolution of galaxies. As with many areas of astronomy, the ability to examine these galaxies across the electromagnetic spectrum is critical to their study.
Text Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Download this image
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Galaxies
Chandra Spacecraft and Instruments
Chandra Spacecraft and Instruments The Chandra telescope system consists of four pairs of mirrors and their support structure. X-ray telescopes must be…
Goddard Space Flight Center
Boeing drone dressed as 'Star Wars' X-wing lands at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
The Unequal Burden of Early Dementia on Black Americans and How We Can Change It
Black Americans face higher hurdles in diagnosis and treatment of frontotemporal dementia, the most common form of dementia for people under 60
Where Does the Solar System End?
The solar system’s outer limits aren’t as clear-cut as you might think
China is sending its Chang’e 6 spacecraft to the far side of the moon
China is sending its Chang’e 6 spacecraft to the far side of the moon
Mysterious space signals may come from a dead star with a planet
Mysterious space signals may come from a dead star with a planet
Boeing's Starliner is ready to fly astronauts after years of delay. Here's what took so long.
Introducing Science Quickly’s New Host, Rachel Feltman
Stay tuned for a new era of Science Quickly.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 3 – 12
This week in the moonless dark, the Summer Triangle appears over the eastern treetops star by star. Leo walks down toward the west. And the Sombrero Galaxy positions itself ideally on the south meridian for your telescope.
The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 3 – 12 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Seven surprising things you may not know about roots
Seven surprising things you may not know about roots
Earth from Space: Namibian landforms
Seven ways ESA has cut its environmental footprint
ESA is committed to almost halve its greenhouse gas emissions linked to energy consumption by 2025 compared to 2019 levels. But how can ESA keep accelerating the use of space for the sustainable development of society while reducing its emissions?
Indoor climbing wall users may be breathing in toxic rubber dust
Indoor climbing wall users may be breathing in toxic rubber dust
ESA’s cloud and aerosol satellite aerosol-free
A few weeks ago, a team of engineers carefully extracted ESA's EarthCARE satellite from its protective transport container, initiating a meticulous process of inspection, testing and preparation for its liftoff later this month from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Amidst an extensive checklist of tasks, was a rigorous effort to guarantee that the satellite is in pristine condition, underscoring the thorough attention to detail essential to making the satellite ready for launch.
Ariane 6 launches: Exolaunch’s EXOpod Nova
Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. Read on for all about EXOpod Nova, then see who else is flying first.