ALMA image of the ‘cosmic joust’

Eso_eso2509a_1024

eso_eso2509a May 21st, 2025

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Balashev and P. Noterdaeme et al.

This image, taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), shows the molecular gas content of two galaxies involved in a cosmic collision. The one on the right hosts a quasar –– a supermassive black hole that is accreting material from its surroundings and releasing intense radiation directly into the other galaxy.  Astronomers used the X-shooter instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to detect the quasar’s light as it passes through an invisible halo of gas surrounding the galaxy on the left. In doing so, they could observe the damage that this radiation causes to the victim, disrupting its clouds of gas and hampering its ability to form new stars.

Provider: European Southern Observatory

Image Source: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2509a/

Curator: European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, None, Germany

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Subject - Distant Universe
Galaxy > Type > Interacting
Eso_eso2509a_1280
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ID
eso2509a
Subject Category
D.5.1.7  
Subject Name
Credits
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Balashev and P. Noterdaeme et al.
Release Date
2025-05-21T17:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2509a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
1450.0, 930.0
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
European Southern Observatory
URL
https://www.eso.org
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
City
Garching bei München
State/Province
None
Postal Code
D-85748
Country
Germany
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
European Southern Observatory
Publisher ID
eso
Resource ID
eso2509a
Metadata Date
2025-03-17T13:11:29+01:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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