| CXO 0312 Fiore P3: X-ray source in a distant galaxy | September 1999 | ||
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Chandra ACIS contours overlaid on an optical image of a newly discovered powerful X-ray source in a distant galaxy. When viewed with an optical telescope, this galaxy appears normal. But when the Chandra X-ray Observatory observed the galaxy during calibration testing in September 1999, it discovered an unusually strong source of X rays. | ||
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| Image Credit: NASA, CXC, SAO | |||
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| Chandra
ACIS contours overlaid on an optical image of a newly discovered powerful
X-ray source in a distant galaxy. When viewed with an optical telescope,
this galaxy appears normal. But when the Chandra X-ray Observatory observed
the galaxy during calibration testing in September 1999, it discovered an
unusually strong source of X rays.
Located 2.5 billion light years from Earth, the X-ray source is concentrated in the central regions of the galaxy and could be another example of a veiled black hole. This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that our census of energetic black hole sources in galaxies is far from complete. |
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The vertical lines in the image are part of a grid to locate the source
in the sky. The X-ray contours represent brightness levels and are consistent
with a point-like source in the center of the galaxy. The colors in the
optical image also represent brightness levels. The source name is CXOUJ031238.9-765134,
which defines its position in the sky.
Scale: Image is 18.7 arcsec on a side. |
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