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Supermassive black hole at the heart of NGC 5548

Supermassive black hole at the heart of NGC 5548


Date: 19 June 2014
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: NGC 5548
Copyright: ESA/Hubble and NASA. Acknowledgement: Davide de Martin

This is the galaxy known as NGC 5548. At its heart, though not visible here, is a supermassive black hole behaving in a strange and unexpected manner. Researchers detected a clumpy gas stream flowing quickly outwards and blocking 90 percent of the X-rays emitted by the black hole. This activity could provide insights into how supermassive black holes interact with their host galaxies.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
29-Mar-2024 11:52 UT

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https://sci.esa.int/s/wVMzOOA

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