Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/KIPAC/N. Werner et al Radio: NSF/NRAO/AUI/W. Cotton

NASA recently published a wonderful image of a massive, relatively nearby galaxy, known as M87. The image is composed of data from NASA’s space-based Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and a sophisticated ground-based radio observatory, the Very Large Array (VLA). M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy, located about 50 million light years away.

A supermassive black hole is believed to resides the center of M87. Its mass is estimated to be several billions of times that of the Sun. This mighty black hole drives vigorous activity that gives rise to a powerful jet of energetic particles, streaming from M87’s core, for at least 5,000 light years.  

 
M87 lies in the center of a huge gravitationally-bound aggregation of some 1,300 galaxies, known as the Virgo Cluster, since it is visible in the background of the stars of Virgo, the zodiacal constellation.
The Virgo Cluster is filled with extremely hot gas, radiating X-rays, that is detected by Chandra. As this gas cools, it can fall toward M87's center, where it should continue to cool even faster, and form new stars.

However, the VLA observations, recording radio emission from the cluster, suggest that in M87, the jets of high-energy particles, produced by the black hole, interrupt this process. These jets collide with the relatively cool gas near the center of the galaxy, and produce shock waves in the galaxy's gaseous envelope, due to their supersonic speed.

The interaction of this galactic “eruption” with the galaxy's surrounding medium resembles that of the Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, which occurred in April 2010. The energetic particles, produced in the vicinity of M87’s central black hole, rush through the X-ray emitting gas of the Virgo Cluster, lifting up the coolest gas near the center of M87 in their wake. This is similar to the hot volcanic gases drag up the clouds of dark ash. Shockwaves can be observed when the black hole flings energetic particles into the cluster gas.

References

NASA’s Image of the Day Gallery
Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/KIPAC/N. Werner et al Radio: NSF/NRAO/AUI/W. Cotton
Wikipedia

Further Reading
NASA
www.nasa.gov/
CXO Homepage
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/chronological.html

Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist