M87 and its jet. Coloured radio image showing the nucleus of the elliptical galaxy M87 (blue centre left) and its jet of plasma. The colour code runs from green for the dimmest regions through yellow,and blue for the brightest areas. The jet appears as a bright stream (green-yellow) flowing out of the galaxy's nucleus. It is formed by charged particles such as protons and electrons which are accelerated outwards from the galactic nucleus at nearly the speed of light. Current models suggest that a black hole of about 2.6 billion solar masses lies at the core of M87 and powers the jet. The image was taken by the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope at a wavelength of 2cm. This picture may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by NRAO,AUI or NSF of any company or product | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / NSF / AUI / NRAO |
Bildgröße: | 2800 px × 1869 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
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