Exploring the core of the galaxy

1999/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

Astronomers have suspected of the existence of a massive black hole in the galaxy A Centaurus, when it is 10 million light years from us. They have detected large streams of plasma by radio and X-ray to the black hole with mass one billion times greater than our Sun.

Through the Hubble telescope's NICMOS detector of space, analyzing the wavelengths close to the infrared, astronomers have been able to see the galaxy through the interstellar layer of dust. They have obtained an excellent image and you can appreciate details of seven years of light. In it has been found a giant disc of accretion, which is only formed around black holes.

However, the plasma jets emitted by the poles are usually perpendicular to the disc, but in this case not. In this image it may be due to the motion of precession of the astro too small to be seen.