The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a cosmic object that challenges the confines of conventional definitions. Because the bizarre Spiralgalaxie Z 229-15 combines 3 different types of a galaxy.
The object is round 390 million light years away from the earth and stands out at first sight because of its extremely bright core. But at the same time, the stars of the galaxy are also clearly visible.
Galaxy with an active core
Z 229-15 is one AGN-Galaxie, writes NASA. This means that it has an active galactic core (AGN – active galactic nucleus), which shines much brighter than other objects in the galaxy.
The supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy has accumulated mass around it due to its strong gravitational pull. This material is so extremely compressed that it heats up and exudes extreme energy. From Hubble’s point of view, therefore, it appears that the core of the galaxy is glowing.
quasar and Seyfertgalaxie
At the same time, Z 229-15 is considered a species by definition Quasar. The active core of a galaxy that houses a particularly active, supermassive black hole is called a quasar. However, a quasar appears in the visible range of light punctate and resembles a star.
In fact, it’s not a star, but the luminous matter of the disk surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. The luminosity of the disc can reach that of billions of stars and outshine the actual galaxy hosting the quasar.
According to NASA, another definition applies to Z 229-15. So the galaxy is also one Seyfertgalaxie. So a galaxy with a very bright galaxy core, but where the stars are also visible. “Classifications in astronomy can be challenging”, writes NASA.
