The central region of NGC 1068

It illustrates the new insight into the central region of the active galaxy NGC 1068, at increasing magnification. Image a (left) A colour composite of NGC 1068, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); showing stellar light in blue, oxygen ionized by the active nucleus in yellow, and inonized hydrogen in red. Image b (middle) is a VLTI image by MIDI at wavelength 8.7 µm, penetrating the dust cloud and showing the central structures in great detail. Image c (right) is a sketch of the dust structure of the innermost region. It contains a central hot component (at least 500°C; yellow), marginally resolved by the VLTI observations in the North-South direction (i.e. in the vertical direction in this image). It is surrounded by a larger warm component (~50°, red) that is well resolved. The arrows at the upper left indicate the directions of the two VLTI baselines and the corresponding resolution (image sharpness) at the central observed wavelength (10.5 µm).

Crediti:

ESO

Riguardo l'immagine

Identificazione:eso0414a
Tipo:Collage
Data di rilascio:05 Maggio 2004
Notizie relative:eso0414
Grandezza:1688 x 522 px

Riguardo all'oggetto

Nome:NGC 1068
Tipo:Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Neutron Star : Magnetar
Distanza:35 Milione Anni luce
Categoria:Stars

Formati delle immagini

JPEG grande
234,1 KB

Colori e filtri

BandaLunghezza d'ondaTelescopio
OtticoHubble Space Telescope
Ottico
OII
Hubble Space Telescope
Infrarosso
Near-IR
8.7 μmVery Large Telescope
MIDI
Ottico
HII
Hubble Space Telescope