JWST was able to determine the composition of the gas around the supermassive black hole of NGC 7319 , one of the five beetleweed ofStephan ’s Quintet . This was one of the first scientific target of the telescope , which observed the gas in this active galaxy nub in wavelengths that have never been detected before .
Withits near - infrared instrument , it was able to see atomic hydrogen and molecule hydrogen , which is form when two hydrogen atoms bond together . It also saw iron ion . This is an fantabulous tracer for where the hot gas is situate around the supermassive black hole . Even though disastrous holes do n’t let loose low-cal , when they feast like this one , they are messy eaters . The intense gravity heats up the textile they are snacking on create intense radiation .
The supermassive disastrous maw at the plaza of NGC 7319 has a sight tantamount to 24 million times that of our Sun or about six timesSagittarius A * , which sits at the center of the Milky Way . But unlike Sagittarius A * , this supermassive contraband hole has a stupendous emission of radiation therapy – like 40 billion Suns were shining at once .
Near-IR comspition of gas around the supermassive black hole of NGC 7319. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Hydrogen and smoothing iron are not the only thing that JWST was able to observe . In itsmid - Infrared observations , the telescope saw an outpouring of hot gas that contained hot , ionised gun , including iron , argon , Ne , S , and O . And the immediate area around the disgraceful hole is robust in hydrogen as well as silicate dust – like grains of sand , but a lot diminished .
JWST also honor the apparent motion and the speed of the natural gas . Just like an ambulance ’s siren has a higher pitch as it come towards you , the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation of ignitor - give out objects transformation as it moves towards or away from you . So the telescope could tell how the gasoline was moving and how fast .
examine supermassive black holes in nearby extragalactic nebula allows us to understand them anywhere in the Universe . Stephan ’s Quintet is made up of four galaxies in a compact group and one that looks like faithful to them but only visually . The radical is located 290 million light - class away from Earth .
Mid-infrared spectrum of the gas around the supermassive black hole and in an outflow. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
JWST ’s photo of the group has 150 million pixels and was constructed from almost 1,000 separate image file . The telescope could see single genius and the undimmed core of NGC 7320 , which is the closest ( and leftmost ) in the group .
The velocity of the gas around the supermassive black hole. Image Credit:NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
