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HEASARC Picture of the Week: Active Galaxies



Title Date
Reverberating through Time Illustration of reflection from the accretion disc of material orbiting a supermassive black hole September 8, 2025
High Velocity Rounds Illustration of clumpy wind driven by the supermassive black hole PDF 456; inset: Resolve spectrum showing absorption by high velocity louds in the wind July 14, 2025
Reflections of Past Activity Integral Hard X-ray image of the center of the Milky Way May 26, 2025
Digging for Holes Illustration of an obscured AGN seen in 4 different energies of EM radiation: clockwise from upper left: IR, visible, soft X-ray, hard X-ray April 14, 2025
Why Does X Mark the Spot? X-ray, optical and IR view of NGC 5084 and its central black January 6, 2025
In the Vicinity of a Supermassive Black Hole Illustration of the active black hole nucleus in NGC 4151 and (inset) emission from iron atoms near the nucleus from XRISM Resolve spectrum September 23, 2024
The Iron Grip of the Black Hole in NGC 4151 XRISM/Resolve spectrum of emission from near the central black hole in NGC4151 May 20, 2024
A Quasar Under the Influence Composite X-ray, and radio image of quasar H1821+643 April 15, 2024
UFOs Surrounding a Black Hole XMM and NuSTAR combined quasar X-ray spectrum and artist impression of a quasar wind August 7, 2023
The Sword of the Centaur False color high-resolution X-ray image of Centaurus A from the Chandra X-ray Observatory May 22, 2023
Hot as H Chandra X-ray, radio and optical image of M84 showing X-ray cavities evacuated by the radio jet from the supermassive black hole May 15, 2023
A Voracious Galaxy? Multi-wavelength image of 3C297, a surprisingly lonely galaxy April 10, 2023
Building Bigger Black Holes Pairs of interacting dwarf galaxies containing active black holes March 13, 2023
The Bright Dawn of Neutrino Astronomy Illustration of the IceCube Neutrion Observatory in Antarctica November 28, 2022
Disk Dynamo Artist impression of a changing accretion disk around a supermassive black hole May 9, 2022
Pushing Strings Multiwavelength view of the Perseus A active galaxy August 30, 2021
What's Happening Behind a Black Hole? Illustration of X-ray echoes from behing a black hole August 2, 2021
Looking Hard to Find Black Holes Illustration depicting a black hole inside a donut-shaped ring of gas and dust. July 5, 2021
Come Together X-ray and optical images of merging galaxies February 15, 2021
Surviving a Black Hole Artist illustration connecting a black hole corona to a black hole jet November 9, 2020
The Changeling Illustration of the disruption of an accretion disk around a black hole by a passing star; inset: X-ray lightcurve July 20, 2020
Jet Engine Composite X-ray/optical/radio image of active galaxy 4C+29.30 June 1, 2020
Building a New Jet Infrared image of the collision of the active galaxy TXS 2116�077 (right) and a companion galaxy (left), with X-ray contours April 13, 2020
Out of the Heart of Darkness X-ray (purple), optical and radio image of Hercules A April 6, 2020
Warp Factor 6? M87 lightspeed jet January 27, 2020
Birth by Black Hole Positive Black Hole Feedback seen by CXO, JVLA and HST January 6, 2020
ChandraXX: Jet Takeoff Chandra image of the inner jet in the active galaxy 3c273 September 9, 2019
Tempest in a Teacup X-ray, optical and radio image of the Teacup galaxy April 29, 2019
Ricochet Ricochet of an X-ray Jet in Cyg A February 11, 2019
The Growing Darkness Chandra Legacy COSMOS Survey January 7, 2019
Jet Speed X-ray and Optical image of the active galaxy NGC 383/3C31 and its X-ray Jet August 6, 2018
Ghost Rider in the Sky Illustration of multi-messenger flare from a blazar July 16, 2018
A Black Hole Ablaze Fermi LAT observation of a major flare from 3C279 April 9, 2018
Mysterious Travelers from Beyond the Milky Way Map of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays September 25, 2017
The Broad View Multi-energy observations of a flare from the blazar 3C 279 August 7, 2017
Growing Your Own Black Hole Comparison of black holes in isolated AGN (left) and an AGN in a galactic merger (right) May 15, 2017
A Big Hole in a Small Galaxy Discovery Channel Telescope of galaxy merger Was 49 April 17, 2017
The Origin of UFOs? XMM Newton X-ray spectrum of AGN showing dependence of fast outflow on X-ray brightness April 10, 2017
Giant Black Holes in a Baby Universe Five Extreme Fermi Gamma-ray Blazars February 6, 2017
Monsters Under the Bed NuSTAR detection of supermassie black hole in NGC 1448 January 23, 2017
Dieting VLT optical and Chandra X-ray image of Markarian 1018 November 21, 2016
Background Investigation NuSTAR studies the hard X-ray Background August 15, 2016
An Ancient Jet Artistic rendition of a superwind from the center of a spiral galaxy March 14, 2016
An Ancient Jet Ancient X-ray jet from an active, supermassive black hole March 7, 2016
"Dualing" Black Holes Chandra and HST image of SDSS J1126+2944 February 8, 2016
Lumpy Donut Active galazy NGC 1068 and artist rendering of ita central black hole December 21, 2015
Little Big Hole Optical image of RGG 118; inset: X-rays from the central black hole August 17, 2015
Time to Make the Donut? Hyperfeeding supermassive black holes in AGN detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory May 25, 2015
UFOs Surrounding a Black Hole XMM and NuSTAR combined quasar X-ray spectrum and artist impression of a quasar wind February 23, 2015
Clouds from Both Sides Now Simulation of AGN clouds seen by RXTE April 7, 2014
Deep Into Cen A Chandra 9-day look at Cen A February 10, 2014
Through a Lens Brightly Fermi Gammay-Ray Time Delay from a gravitational lens system January 20, 2014
Brightening Near the Heart of Blackness VLBA and Fermi observations of a gamma-ray flare in 4C +71.07 January 16, 2013
Giant Jet Composite image of the most distant X-ray jet known December 3, 2012
Echolocating a Black Hole Artist view of active nucleus of NGC 4151 with solar system orbits for scale June 4, 2012
What Cen A Ate Herschel IR and XMM X-ray image of Centaurus A April 16, 2012
UFOs from AGN Artist Rendition of an ultra-fast outflow near an AGN March 5, 2012
Black Hole Burps Multiwavelength Campaign of Observations of the AGN MRK 509 October 10, 2011
Double Super X-ray and optical image of NGC 3393 September 5, 2011
Parsing the Background makeup of the CXB January 31, 2011
Go Jets composite X-ray and radio images study of the jet in Cen A. January 17, 2011
Growing Black Holes composite X-ray and optical images of galaxies used in a recent study of supermassive black holes January 3, 2011
The Extremely High Energy Extragalactic Sky Number of very high energy extragalactic sources vs. time August 30, 2010
Turned on By the Bump BAT detected AGN May 31, 2010
Boosting the Background Composite image of Cen A April 5, 2010
Blowback X-ray, optical and radio composite image of NGC 1068 March 8, 2010
Togetherness X-ray and optical image of a quasar-quasar collision February 15, 2010
Blazing Brightest ever Gamma-ray blazar December 14, 2009
Cavities with Iron Fillings Chandra image of Hydra galaxy cluster September 21, 2009
Speed Gun Chandra, HST and VLA images of M87 jet July 6, 2009
Faster than a Speeding Photon? XMM-Newton image of M87 jets June 15, 2009
A Cry from Long Ago Chandra, MERLIN and SDSS composite of HDF 130 June 1, 2009
Sparks after the Collision Chandra image of jet from Cen A February 16, 2009
No Static at All FRI Galaxies in X-ray and radio September 15, 2008
Jet Power Composite of Cen A March 17, 2008
Intergalactic Battle 3C321 jet hitting neighbor galaxy December 24, 2007
Far and Away INTEGRAL/Swift detection of distant AGN November 12, 2007
Growing Trouble Chandra images of AGN in galaxy clusters July 30, 2007
Jet Exhaust NGC 4285 composite image April 30, 2007
Eclipse of the Dark Heart Chandra/VLT images of NGC 1365 April 16, 2007
A Sky Full of Holes Chandra Bootes Field March 19, 2007
Feasting and Burping Active galaxy in the MS 0735.6+7421 cluster November 6, 2006
Roar Chandra Low energy image of M87 October 9, 2006
Rogues Gallery of Loudmouths XMM Montage of Gamma-ray loud active galaxies April 3, 2006
You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio Galaxy Chandra Image of 4C37.43 March 27, 2006
The Growing Years Merging Galaxies in the CDFN April 11, 2005
Ring-Around Not-so-Rosy XMM observation of flare around a black hole February 14, 2005
Black Hole Too Young? Chandra observation of J1306+illustration December 6, 2004
Energizing the Base 3c223 XMM & VLA images November 1, 2004
Three Ring Virgo Chandra image of Rings around M87 May 17, 2004
Splitting Images Chandra Image of the Cloverleaf quasar April 26, 2004
Jet Exhausted XMM and X-ray image of 3C66b April 5, 2004
Living and Dying Color X-ray and UV image of M81 December 8, 2003
Prehistoric Jet Quasar X-ray Jet November 10, 2003
The Star-AGN Connection SPI Al 26 Map August 11, 2003
All You Can't Eat Keck and Chandra views of 4C41.17 May 26, 2003
Cosmic Super Collider Radio/X-ray image of Cen A Jet April 28, 2003
A Smoking Gun XMM-Newton Image of a Jet from Pictor A March 10, 2003
Multi-color Cluster M87 CHANDRA IMAGE November 4, 2002
Surprisingly Active Galaxies Chandra image of Abell 2104 September 16, 2002
A Black Hole Unveiled Chandra/Type 2 quasar August 19, 2002
The Tell-Tale Arc Cen A/HRC August 12, 2002
The Edge at the Edge of the Universe Iron Edge in Quasar Spectrum July 22, 2002
The Universe Gets Slightly Less Interesting Chandra Twin Quasar Image June 24, 2002
Ins and Outs of Black Holes Chandra/PKS 1127-145 February 11, 2002
Climbing out of a Black Hole? XMM/MCG-6-30-15 October 29, 2001
Multi-component Starburst XMM/NGC253 February 19, 2001
X-raying the Warm Absorber XMM/RGS spectrum January 1, 2001
Through an X-ray Lens Brightly Chandra gravitational lens December 18, 2000
The Oldest X-rays Ever QSO at Z=5.8 December 11, 2000
On the trail of a Cosmic Jet Chandra/3C273 November 20, 2000
A Jet in the Distant Past PKS O637-752 October 16, 2000
A Daily Intake of Iron MCG6 Fe line August 7, 2000
Five Billion Year Old, 50 Million Degree Clouds 3C295/CHANDRA Jan 24, 2000
High Resolution X-ray Map of the Active Galaxy Centaurus A HRI Cen A Nov 8, 1999


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Each week the HEASARC scours the archive of X-ray and Gamma Ray observations to bring you new, exciting and beautiful images. Check back each week and be sure to check out the archive!

Page Author: Dr. Michael F. Corcoran
Last modified Monday, 08-Sep-2025 12:05:44 EDT

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