Emission of the galaxy BzK-15504

H-alpha line emission of the galaxy BzK-15504, at cosmological redshift of 2.38, corresponding to a time of 3 billion years after the Big Bang. The colours show whether the ionised gas is moving away from us (red), toward us (blue) or is stationary (green), relative to the overall rest frame of the galaxy. These data, obtained with SINFONI and adaptive optics (resulting in a resolution of 0.15", or 4,000 light years at the distance of the galaxy), show for the first time very clearly the gas motions in such a distant galaxy in the Early Universe. The galaxy appears to be a disc, like our Milky Way, and rotates at 230 km/s about the yellow axis, which is centred on the nucleus of the galaxy (white cross).

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0631a
Type:Observation
Release date:17 August 2006
Related releases:eso0631
Size:2358 x 2598 px

About the Object

Name:BzK 15504
Type:Early Universe : Galaxy : Activity : AGN
Distance:z=2.38 (redshift)
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEG
384.2 KB
Screensize JPEG
121.3 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
111.5 KB
1280x1024
149.2 KB
1600x1200
188.3 KB
1920x1200
206.7 KB
2048x1536
262.6 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Infrared
H-alpha
Very Large Telescope
SINFONI