File:Illustration of Cygnus A (2000-0216 - cyg illustration).jpg

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Illustration_of_Cygnus_A_(2000-0216_-_cyg_illustration).jpg (504 × 504 pixels, file size: 111 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Captions

Captions

This Chandra image shows a giant football-shaped cavity (yellow/light orange inner region) within X-ray emitting hot gas surrounding the galaxy Cygnus A.

Summary

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Description
English: This Chandra image shows a giant football-shaped cavity (yellow/light orange inner region) within X-ray emitting hot gas surrounding the galaxy Cygnus A. The cavity in the hot gas has been created by two powerful jets emitted from the central black hole region in the nucleus of Cygnus A. Hot gas is steadily being piled up around the cavity as it continuously expands, creating a bright rim of X-ray emission (bright orange outer area). Cygnus A is not alone in its galactic neighborhood, but is a member of a large cluster containing many galaxies. Extremely hot (tens of millions of degrees Celsius) gas is spread between the galaxies. Although it has a very low density, this gas provides enough resistance to slow down the outward advancement of the particle jets from Cygnus A. The jets themselves terminate in radio and X-ray emitting "hot spots" some 300,000 light years from the center of the galaxy. Scientists believe that fast atomic particles and magnetic fields from the jets spill out into the region, providing pressure that continuously inflates the cavity.
Date 6 November 2000 (upload date)
Source Cygnus A: Catching a Galactic Football
Author NASA/CXC/K.Kowal
Other versions
Category
InfoField
Quasars & Active Galaxies
Constellation
InfoField
Cygnus
Coordinates (J2000)
InfoField
RA 19h 59m 28.30s
Distance Estimate
InfoField
700 million light years
Observation Date(s)
InfoField
May 21, 2000
Observation ID(s)
InfoField
360
Observation Time
InfoField
9 hours
Scale
InfoField
Image is 3.3 x 2 arcmin across.
Instruments
InfoField
ACIS
This media is a product of the
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Credit and attribution belongs to the Chandra X-ray Center, NASA/SAO/Penn State University/MIT

Licensing

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Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
Warnings:

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current20:14, 22 June 2024Thumbnail for version as of 20:14, 22 June 2024504 × 504 (111 KB)OptimusPrimeBot (talk | contribs)#Spacemedia - Upload of https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2000/0216/cyg_illustration.jpg via Commons:Spacemedia

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