Recoating Yepun's mirror
Rotation curve (velocity vrs. distance from the centre) of the disk surrounding the black hole at the centre of Centaurus A . From the ISAAC spectrum displayed in ESO Press Photo eso0109, the `average' gas velocities along the slit direction can be derived. Position `0' on the horizontal axis indicates the exact position of the galaxy nucleus; at the distance of Centaurus A, 1 arcsec corresponds to 55.5 light-years (17 pc). The blue triangles and the red squares correspond to emission lines from singly ionized Iron atoms ([Fe II]) and Hydrogen (Paschen-Beta), respectively. The high velocities are the hallmark of a central black hole. The thick solid line represents the expected velocities, assuming the presence of a 200 million solar-mass black hole at the centre.
Credit:
ESO
About the Image
| Id: | eso0109c |
| Type: | Chart |
| Release date: | 8 March 2001 |
| Related releases: | eso0109 |
| Size: | 682 x 703 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Centaurus A, NGC 5128 |
| Type: | • Local Universe : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole • X - Galaxies • X - Quasars & Black Holes |
| Distance: | 13 million light years |
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