Image of Composite image of galaxies IC 4970 and NGC 6872 (photo)

Composite image of galaxies IC 4970 and NGC 6872 (photo)

IMAGE number: SMT1217256
Image title: Composite image of galaxies IC 4970 and NGC 6872 (photo)
Location: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
Medium: photograph

Image description: When combined, data from Chandra (purple), Spitzer (red), and the Very Large Telescope in Chile (yellow) reveal that IC 4970, the small galaxy at the top of the image, is feeding a supermassive black hole at its center by drawing cold gas from its partner galaxy, the spiral NGC 6872. These two galaxies are in the process of merging, allowing the reservoir of fuel to be supplied to the growing black hole. Astronomers think that supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies and that black holes and galaxies are inextricably linked in their evolution.
Photo credit: © Smithsonian Institution / Bridgeman Images
Image keywords: astronomy / spiral / scientific / science / astronomical / national air and space museum / star / space / astrophysics / composite / cosmos / galaxy / ngc 6872 / astronomy / blackholes / smithsonian institution / stars / false colour / very large telescope / galaxies / spirals / supermassive blackhole / universe / spitzer / chandra / vlt / ic 4970 / Photograph / Photography / Mzphoto

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	Dimension [pixels]	Dimension in 300dpi [mm]	File size [MB]
Large	3600 × 2178 px	305 × 184 mm	932 KB
Medium	1024 × 620 px	87 × 52 mm	540 KB

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