Persbericht
Het superwind melkwegstelsel NGC 4666
1 september 2010
Melkwegstelsel NGC 4666 is het middelpunt van deze nieuwe opname die in zichtbaar licht is gemaakt met de Wide Field Imager op de MPG/ESO 2,2 meter telescoop op de La Silla-sterrenwacht in Chili. NGC 4666 is een opvallend sterrenstelsel met veel stervorming en een ongewone 'superwind' van uitgeblazen gas. Het was eerder waargenomen in het röntgen met ESA's XMM-Newton ruimtetelescoop, en de nieuwe opname is gemaakt om objecten op de röntgen-waarnemingen nader te bestuderen.
Het opvallende melkwegstelsel NGC 4666 in het midden van de foto is een 'starburst galaxy', op zo'n 80 miljoen lichtjaar van de aarde, waar bijzonder intensieve stervorming plaatsvindt. Men gaat ervan uit dat de geboortegolf wordt veroorzaakt door zwaartekracht-interactie tussen NGC 4666 en zijn buur-sterrenstelsels, waaronder NGC 4668, linksonder op de foto. Een dergelijke interactie veroorzaakt vaak intense stervorming in sterrenstelsels.
Een combinatie van supernova-explosies en krachtige winden van zware sterren in het stervormingsgebied drijft een grote gasstroom van het sterrenstelsel de ruimte in, een zogenoemde 'superwind'. De enorme superwind strekt zich uit van het heldere centrum van het melkwegstelsel tot een afstand van tienduizenden lichtjaren. Doordat het gas van de superwind erg heet is, zendt het voornamelijk röntgen- en radiostraling uit en kan het niet worden waargenomen in zichtbaar licht.
De afbeelding is gemaakt als onderdeel van de follow-up van de röntgenopnamen met ESA's XMM-Newton. NGC 4666 was het doel van de oorspronkelijke XMM-Newton-observaties, maar het brede beeldveld van deze telescoop maakte ook veel röntgenbronnen op de achtergrond zichtbaar. Een van deze serendipiteuze (toevallige) ontdekkingen is een zwak cluster van sterrenstelsels onderaan de afbeelding, rechts van het midden. Dit cluster ligt veel verder weg dan NGC 4666, op een afstand van zo'n drie miljard lichtjaar.
Om de aard van astronomische objecten volledig te begrijpen, onderzoeken astronomen hen op verschillende golflengten. Verschillende golflengten geven informatie over verschillende fysische processen die plaatsvinden. In dit geval werden de Wide Field Imager (WFI) [1] waarnemingen gedaan in zichtbaar licht om de toevallig ontdekte röntgenbronnen nader te bestuderen - een goed voorbeeld van de manier waarop astronomen meerdere telescopen gebruiken om het heelal te onderzoeken.
Noten
[1] De WFI is een gezamenlijk project van de Europese Zuidelijke Sterrenwacht, het Max-Planck-Instituut voor Astronomie (MPIA) in Heidelberg (Duitsland) en het Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte (OAC) in Napels (Italië).
Links
- Paper describing the XMM-Newton follow-up: A&A 449, 837
- Image of the galaxy in X-rays
Contact
Richard Hook
ESO La Silla/Paranal & E-ELT Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
E-mail: rhook@eso.org
Jörg Dietrich
Physics Department, University of Michigan
USA
Tel: +1 734 615 4256
E-mail: jorgd@umich.edu
Rodrigo Alvarez (press contact België)
ESO Science Outreach Network
en Planetarium, Royal Observatory of Belgium
Tel: +32-2-474 70 50
E-mail: eson-belgië@eso.org
Over dit bericht
| Persberichten nr.: | eso1036nl-be |
| Naam: | NGC 4666 |
| Type: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Activity : Starburst |
| Facility: | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope |
| Instruments: | WFI |
| Science data: | 2006A&A...449..837D |
Afbeeldingen
Video's
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