Hubble Site STSci-2010-18 - 25 May 2010
A team of astronomy researchers at Florida Institute of Technology and Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States and University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, find that the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of the most massive local galaxy (M87) is not where it was expected. Their research, conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), concludes that the SMBH in M87 is displaced from the galaxy center. The most likely cause for this SMBH to be off center is a previous merger between two older, less massive, SMBHs. The iconic M87 jet may have pushed the SMBH away from the galaxy center, say researchers.
Supermassive Black Holes May Frequently Roam Galaxy CentersAstronomers find that the supermassive black hole at the center of the most massive local galaxy (M87) is not where it was expected. Their research, conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope, concludes that the supermassive black hole in M87 is displaced from the galaxy center.
At right is a large-scale image of galaxy M87 taken in 1998 with Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2. The two images at left show an image taken in 2006 with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The position of the supermassive black hole is indicated by the black dot in the lower left panel, and a knot in the jet (HST-1), which was flaring in 2006, is also indicated on this panel. The red dot indicates the center of the galaxy's light distribution, which is offset from the position of the black hole by about 22 light-years.
Florida Institute of Technology - 25 May 2010
Hubble Research Reveals ‘Wandering’ Black Hole
Rochester Institute of Technology - 25 May 2010
Hubble research reveals galaxy’s ‘wandering’ black holeResearch sheds light on galaxy evolution
A team of scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology, Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Sussex has discovered that the supermassive black hole at the center of the most massive local galaxy is on the move.
The discovery, made through observations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, will help scientists refine their understanding of how galaxies are made and how they evolve.
Messier 87 is a massive elliptical galaxy that, at 60 million light years from Earth, is one of our most impressive and closest galactic neighbors. It is known for its brilliant and dense nebulae of stars and a distinctive jet of sub-atomic particles that is propelled from its active center.
The team has found that the supermassive black hole thought to be at the center of M87 has been is displaced. The most likely cause is a previous merger between two older, less massive black holes, but the displacement may also be due to the propulsive energy of M87’s iconic jet.
University of Sussex - 25 May 2010
A Displaced Supermassive Black Hole in M87A team of scientists from the University of Sussex and in the USA, who are closely observing the centres of nearby galaxies, have discovered that one of the most famous supermassive black holes is on the move.
The discovery, made through observations of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, will help scientists refine their understanding of how galaxies are made and how they evolve.
Messier 87 is a massive elliptical galaxy that, at 60 million light years' distance from Earth, is our most impressive and closest galactic neighbour. It is distinctive for its brilliant and dense nebulae of stars and a distinctive 'jet' of sub-atomic particles that is propelled from its active centre.
- arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1005.2173 > 12 May 2010