Hubble view of green filament in galaxy NGC 5972
Date: 02 April 2015
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: NGC 5972
Copyright: NASA, ESA, W. Keel (University of Alabama, USA)
This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows ghostly green filaments, lying within galaxy NGC 5972. This filament was illuminated by a blast of radiation from a quasar – a very luminous and compact region that surrounds the supermassive black hole at the centre of its host galaxy.
Its bright green hue is a result of ionised oxygen, which glows brightly at green wavelengths.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
