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).

Crédit:

ESO

À propos de l'image

Identification:eso0414a
Type:Collage
Date de publication:5 mai 2004
Communiqués de presse en rapport:eso0414
Taille:1688 x 522 px

À propos de l'objet

Nom:NGC 1068
Type:Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Neutron Star : Magnetar
Distance:35 million années lumière
Catégorie:Stars

Formats des images

Grand JPEG
234,1 Kio

Couleurs & filtres

DomaineLongueur d'ondeTélescope
VisibleHubble Space Telescope
Visible
OII
Hubble Space Telescope
Infrarouge
Near-IR
8.7 μmVery Large Telescope
MIDI
Visible
HII
Hubble Space Telescope