A NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the core of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 315 reveals two nuclei located approximately 6,000 light-years apart. (Seyfert galaxies are a class of spiral galaxy with extremely bright nuclei that are thought to be powered by massive black holes accreting matter.) The brighter member of the pair is the energetic core of the galaxy which probably contains a black hole. The fainter companion is considered to be the core of a galaxy in the process of merging with Markarian 315. The image helps confirm that galaxy mergers may be one mechanism for driving gas deep into the heart of a galaxy, according to astronon~t,rs. This raw material fuels a massive black hole, theorized to be the "central engine" in Seyfert galaxies and other active galactic nuclei. The photograph, taken with HST's Planetary Camera, was presented at the 1 81st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix, AZ on January 7, 1993.
Credits
Photo Credit: J. MacKenty (STScl), and NASA.| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Markarian 315 |
| R.A. Position | 23h 4m 2.62s |
| Dec. Position | 22° 37' 27.5" |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
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| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
