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Back The radio galaxy Cygnus A which was also observed with ISOPHOT on ISO

The radio galaxy Cygnus A which was also observed with ISOPHOT on ISO


Copyright: Courtesy of Richard Perley, Very Large Array, New Mexico

In this radio image of Cygnus A its giant lobes of radio emission straddle, and extend far beyond, the optical galaxy in which the radio core (the small dot in the centre) is embedded. The ISOPHOT observation of the faint core of this object reveals that it is surrounded by a ring-like wall made of dusty molecular clouds. This wall is heated to more than 100 degrees above absolute zero by the emission from the hot material accreting onto a central super-massive black hole. The heat can be detected by ISOPHOT while the light from this central quasar is blocked by the dusty wall.
Radio image courtesy Richard Perley, Very Large Array, New Mexico.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
7-Mar-2026 17:34 UT

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