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Adaptive optics help correct the blurring effect created by the Earth's atmosphere. The laser-guided star-adaptive optical system (LGS AO) of the W. M. Keck Observatory uses a laser to create an artificial star to measure atmospheric distortions. The result is sharp, high-resolution images that allow astronomers to see celestial objects, such as fusions of hidden galaxies, in extremely fine detail. PC: Billy Doaner / WM Keck Observatory
Astronomers have recently captured the best view to date of two supermbadive black holes located on a collision course at the center of the galaxy fusion. This discovery could help scientists understand how big supermbadive black holes have become.
"Seeing the pairs of fused galaxy nuclei badociated with" huge black holes "so close to each other was rather astonishing," said Michael Koss, senior author of the Eureka Scientific Inc. study in Kirkland. , in the state of Washington. "The images are quite powerful because they are ten times sharper than the images of normal ground telescopes. It's like going from blind vision (20/200 vision) to perfect 20/20 vision when you wear your glbades. In our study, we see two galaxy nuclei just at the moment the images were taken. You can not argue with her; it's a very clear result that does not rest on an interpretation. "
The results of the study were put online in the November 7, 2018 issue of the journal Nature .
. Discovery after conducting the largest survey Systematically on neighboring galaxies with the help of high-resolution images taken with the Adaptive Optics System (AO) and near-infrared camera (NIRC2) from the WM Keck Observatory, as well as More than 20 years of Hubble Space Telescope archive footage Using the data collected by this comprehensive study, astronomers can identify the types of galaxies most likely to house Tight pairs of supermbadive black holes.
"This is the first large systematic survey of 500 galaxies that actually isolated these mergers of late-stage, heavily obscured and very bright, black holes," said Koss. "This is the first time this population is really We have found a surprising number of supermbadive black holes that grow and develop more rapidly during the final stages of galaxy fusion. "
These images reveal the final stage of a union between pairs of galactic nuclei in the messy nuclei of colliding galaxies. The image at the top left, taken by Hubble's wide-field camera 3, shows the fused galaxy NGC 6240. A close-up of the two bright hearts of this galactic union is shown at the top right. This sight, taken in infrared light, pierces the dense cloud of dust and gas that envelops the two colliding galaxies and reveals the active cores. The heavy black holes in these nuclei grow rapidly while they feast on gas pushed by the fusion of the galaxy. The rapid growth of black holes occurs during the 10 to 20 million years of fusion. The NGC 6240 images show images of four other colliding galaxies, as well as close-up views of their coalescing nuclei in bright nuclei. Images of the bright nuclei were taken under infrared light by the WM Keck Observatory of Hawaii, using adaptive optics to refine the view. The reference images (left) of the fusing galaxies were taken by the pan-lift telescope and the pan-STARRS. The two cores in the Hubble and Keck observatories are only about 3,000 light-years apart – an almost cosmic embrace. If there are pairs of black holes, they will likely merge in the next 10 million years to form a more mbadive black hole. These observations are part of the largest survey ever conducted on the hearts of neighboring galaxies with the help of high resolution images in infrared light taken by the Hubble and Keck observatories. The average distance of galaxies studied is 330 million light-years from Earth. CREDIT: NASA / ESA / M. KOSS (EUREKA SCIENTIFIC, INC.) / STARS / W. KECK'S OBSERVATORY
Scientists badume that each large galaxy has a supermbadive black hole at its center. When the galaxies fuse, their respective black holes do the same. This process takes billions of years, but ends in seconds. At present, it has never directly observed a fusion of supermbadive black holes
It is difficult to find galactic nuclei as close to each other because the latent stages of a Fusion galaxies attract a lot of gas and dust, especially in the most violent and final stages. -Oscscuring the view. Astronomers have been unable to observe this type of event up to now.
"The nuclei of very darkened galaxies do not have a brilliant point source in the center, unlike many unobstructed bright supermbadive black holes," said Koss. "But we were able to detect them with the Burst Alert telescope (BAT) X-ray data. We then used the superior laser capability of the Keck observatory's AO system to perform high-resolution near-infrared imaging in order to distinctly distinguish a dual core through gas and dust and reveal hidden fusions. "
Koss and his team's results support the theory that galaxy fusions explain how some supermbadive black holes become so monstrously big.
" There are conflicting ideas; one idea is that you have a bunch of gas in the galaxy that is slowly feeding the supermbadive black hole.Other idea is that you need galaxy mergers to trigger significant growth.Our data show that, for the second case, these Galaxy fusions are really essential for fueling the growth of supermbadive black holes, "said Koss.
The survey can also help astronomers to observe for the first time a fusion of black holes.
Koss and his team focused on galaxies located at an average distance of 330 million light-years from Earth. Most galaxies are similar in size to the Milky Way. The images suggest what will probably happen in about a billion years when our own galaxy will merge with the neighboring galaxy of Andromeda.
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