This composite image shows the main area of the spiral nebula NGC 4151. In the center, X-rays (blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are combined with optical information (yellow) showing positively charged hydrogen from observations with the 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The red around the center reveals neutral hydrogen discovered by radio observations with the National Science Foundations Very Large Array in New Mexico. Credit: X-rays, NASA/CXC/CfA/ J.Wang et al.; optical, Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope; radio, NSF/NRAO/VLAThe XRISM mission has exposed essential data about the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151, enhancing understanding of black hole-environment interactions.After beginning science operations in February, Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) studied the monster black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151.”XRISMs Resolve instrument recorded a detailed spectrum of the area around the great void,” stated Brian Williams, NASAs task scientist for the objective at the agencys Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The peaks and dips resemble chemical fingerprints that can tell us what elements are present and expose ideas about the fate of matter as it nears the black hole.”XRISM (pronounced “crism”) is led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, together with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). It released on September 6, 2023. NASA and JAXA established Resolve, the objectives microcalorimeter spectrometer.The Resolve instrument aboard XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) captured data from the center of galaxy NGC 4151, where a supermassive black hole is gradually consuming product from the surrounding accretion disk. The resulting spectrum exposes the existence of iron in the peak around 6.5 keV and the dips around 7 keV, light countless times more energetic than what our eyes can see. Background: An image of NGC 4151 built from a mix of X-ray, optical, and radio light. Credit: Spectrum: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Resolve. Background: X-rays, NASA/CXC/CfA/ J.Wang et al.; optical, Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope; radio, NSF/NRAO/VLANGC 4151: A Spiral Galaxy With a Supermassive Black HoleNGC 4151 is a spiral galaxy around 43 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici. The supermassive black hole at its center holds more than 20 million times the Suns mass.The galaxy is likewise active, which indicates its center is uncommonly intense and variable. Gas and dust swirling toward the great void form an accretion disk around it and warm up through frictional and gravitational forces, producing the variability. Some of the matter on the verge of the black hole types twin jets of particles that blast out from each side of the disk at nearly the speed of light. A puffy donut-shaped cloud of product called a torus surrounds the accretion disk.This artists idea shows the possible places of iron exposed in XRISMs X-ray spectrum of NGC 4151. Researchers think X-ray-emitting iron remains in the hot accretion disk, close to the great void. The X-ray-absorbing iron may be further away, in a cooler cloud of product called a torus. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image LabUnique Aspects of NGC 4151In fact, NGC 4151 is one of the closest-known active galaxies. Other missions, consisting of NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, have actually studied it to read more about the interaction in between black holes and their environments, which can inform researchers how supermassive black holes in galactic centers grow over cosmic time.The galaxy is unusually intense in X-rays, that made it an ideal early target for XRISM.Insights From XRISMs Spectral AnalysisResolves spectrum of NGC 4151 reveals a sharp peak at energies simply under 6.5 keV (kiloelectron volts)– an emission line of iron. Astronomers think that much of the power of active galaxies comes from X-rays originating in hot, flaring areas close to the great void. X-rays bouncing off cooler gas in the disk cause iron there to fluoresce, producing a specific X-ray peak. This enables astronomers to paint a much better photo of both the disk and appearing regions much better to the black hole.The spectrum also shows several dips around 7 keV. Iron located in the torus triggered these dips as well, although through absorption of X-rays, rather than emission, because the product there is much cooler than in the disk. All this radiation is some 2,500 times more energetic than the light we can see with our eyes.Iron is just one component XRISM can detect. The telescope can likewise find sulfur, calcium, argon, and others, depending on the source. Each informs astrophysicists something different about the cosmic phenomena spread throughout the X-ray sky.XRISM is a collective mission between JAXA and NASA, with involvement by ESA. NASAs contribution includes science involvement from CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
Credit: X-rays, NASA/CXC/CfA/ J.Wang et al.; optical, Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope; radio, NSF/NRAO/VLAThe XRISM mission has actually revealed important data about the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151, improving understanding of black hole-environment interactions.After beginning science operations in February, Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) studied the beast black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151. NASA and JAXA established Resolve, the missions microcalorimeter spectrometer.The Resolve instrument aboard XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) captured data from the center of galaxy NGC 4151, where a supermassive black hole is slowly consuming material from the surrounding accretion disk. Background: X-rays, NASA/CXC/CfA/ J.Wang et al.; optical, Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, La Palma/Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope; radio, NSF/NRAO/VLANGC 4151: A Spiral Galaxy With a Supermassive Black HoleNGC 4151 is a spiral galaxy around 43 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici. Other objectives, including NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, have actually studied it to discover more about the interaction in between black holes and their surroundings, which can inform scientists how supermassive black holes in galactic centers grow over cosmic time.The galaxy is uncommonly brilliant in X-rays, which made it an ideal early target for XRISM.Insights From XRISMs Spectral AnalysisResolves spectrum of NGC 4151 reveals a sharp peak at energies simply under 6.5 keV (kiloelectron volts)– an emission line of iron. Astronomers think that much of the power of active galaxies comes from X-rays stemming in hot, flaring areas close to the black hole.