Hubble ACS image of NGC 1275
About This Image
Release Date
August 20, 2008 1:00PM (EDT)Read the Release
2008-28Permissions
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Caption
This Hubble Space Telescope image of galaxy NGC 1275 reveals the fine, thread-like filamentary structures in the gas surrounding the galaxy. The red filaments are composed of cool gas being suspended by a magnetic field, and are surrounded by the 100-million-degree Fahrenheit hot gas in the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster.
The filaments are dramatic markers of the feedback process through which energy is transferred from the central massive black hole to the surrounding gas. The filaments originate when cool gas is transported from the center of the galaxy by radio bubbles that rise in the hot interstellar gas.
At a distance of 230 million light-years, NGC 1275 is one of the closest giant elliptical galaxies and lies at the center of the Perseus cluster of galaxies.
The galaxy was photographed in July and August 2006 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys in three color filters.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration;Acknowledgment: A. Fabian (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK)
Keywords
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 1275, Perseus A, 3C 84 |
| Object Description | Active Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 03h 19m 48.15s |
| Dec. Position | 41° 30' 42.09" |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | About 230 million light-years (70 Megaparsecs) |
| Dimensions | The image is roughly 4 arcminutes (260,000 light-years or 78,000 parsecs) across. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | HST Proposal: 10546 A. Fabian and C. Crawford (Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK), C. Conselice (University of Nottingham), and J. Gallager and E. Zweibel (University of Wisconsin, Madison). |
| Instrument | HST>ACS/WFC |
| Exposure Dates | July and August, 2006 |
| Filters | F435W (B), F550W (V), and F625W (r) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Three filters were used to sample various broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W (B) Green: F550W (V) Red: F625W (r) |
| Compass Image |  |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |