Near-infrared flare from Galactic Centre (lightcurve)

This image displays the "light curve" of a light flare from the galactic centre, as observed in the K-band (wavelength 2.2 µm) on June 16, 2003. This and a second flare discovered about 24 hours earlier show variability on a time scale of a few minutes and appear to show larger variations (arrows) with a 17-minute periodicity. The rapid variability implies that the infrared emission comes from just outside (the event horizon of) the black hole. If the periodicity is a fundamental property of the motion of gas orbiting the black hole, the Galactic Centre black hole must rotate with about half the maximum spin rate allowed by General Relativity. The present observations thus probe the space-time structure in the immediate vicinity of that event horizon.

Credit:

ESO

Over de afbeelding

Id:eso0330b
Type:Kaart
Publicatiedatum:29 oktober 2003
Gerelateerde berichten:eso0330
Grootte:800 x 906 px

Over het object

Naam:Milky Way Galactic Centre
Type:Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core
Afstand:25000 lichtjaren
Categorie:Galaxies

Image Formats

Grote JPEG
98,7 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
84,7 KB
1280x1024
110,7 KB
1600x1200
138,1 KB
1920x1200
152,5 KB
2048x1536
181,9 KB

Kleuren & filters

BandGolflengteTelescoop
Infrarood
K
2.2 μmVery Large Telescope

Exposure time: 600s