NASA researchers have identified a black hole. Galaxy NGC 5084 Spinning at an unexpected angle, tipped up relative to the surrounding galaxy.
The discovery was made possible by a new image analysis method called Selective Amplification of Ultra-Noise Astronomical Signals (SAUNAS). The findings were published Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal.
This unusual orientation was discovered using advanced image analysis methods developed at NASA. Ames Research Center.
Galaxy NGC 5084
The galaxy NGC 5084 has been studied for years, but its oddly aligned black hole was hidden in older data. Using information from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the researchers found four plumes of hot, charged gas coming from the galaxy. One pair extends vertically above and below the galaxy, while the other pair forms an “X” shape within the plane of the galaxy. Such structures are rare, as most galaxies have only one or two plumes.
Alejandro Serrano Borloff, the Ames research scientist behind the new analysis method, explained: “It was like watching a crime scene with multiple kinds of light. Putting all the images together shows that NGC 5084 is in its most recent phase. Much has changed in the past,” he said in a statement.
‘Tip over’ disc
The discovery led researchers to use data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, ALMA in Chile and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in New Mexico to further study NGC 5084. They found a dusty inner disk around the galactic center at a 90-degree angle to the galaxy’s rotation. The disk and black hole appeared to be tilted at their sides.
“It is unusual to detect two pairs of X-ray plumes in one galaxy,” Pamela Marcum, an Ames astrophysicist, as quoted by NASA. “The combination of their unusual, cross-shaped structure and ‘tipped-over’, dusty disk gives us unique insight into the history of this galaxy.”
Researchers believe that NGC 5084’s unusual structure could be caused by large cosmic events, such as galactic collisions or Hot gas fireplaces Break through the galaxy ship.