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NuSTAR Finds Cosmic Clumpy Doughnut Around Black Hole
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nustar151217
Galaxy NGC 1068 is shown in visible light and X-rays in this composite image. High-energy X-rays (magenta) captured by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, are overlaid on visible-light images from both NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The X-ray light is coming from an active supermassive black hole, also known as a quasar, in the center of the galaxy. This supermassive black hole has been extensively studied due to its relatively close proximity to our galaxy. NGC 1068 is about 47 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus.
The supermassive black hole is also one of the most obscured known, blanketed by thick clouds of gas and dust. NuSTAR's high-energy X-ray view is the first to penetrate the walls of this black hole's hidden lair.
About the Object
Color Mapping
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical | 606 nm | Hubble WFPC2 |
Optical | 658 nm | Hubble ACS |
Infrared | 814 nm | Hubble ACS |
Optical | 550 nm | SDSS |
Optical | 700 nm | SDSS |
Infrared | 814 nm | SDSS |
X-ray | 10.0 keV | NuSTAR |
Astrometrics