Hubble Space Telescope Captures Image of Active Spiral Galaxy

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shot this image of UGC 11397, a barred spiral galaxy that is hosting an actively growing supermassive black hole.

Also known as IRAS 19019+3346, LEDA 62725 or TC 872, UGC 11397 lies approximately 250 million light-years away in the constellation of Lyra.

The first known reference to this spiral galaxy comes from the Catalogue of Galaxies and of Clusters of Galaxies compiled by the Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in 1966.

“At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy,” the Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“It sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust.”

“What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive black hole containing 174 million times the mass of the Sun is growing,” they noted.

“As a black hole ensnares gas, dust, and even entire stars from its vicinity, this doomed matter heats up and puts on a fantastic cosmic light show.”

“Material trapped by the black hole emits light from gamma rays to radio waves and can brighten and fade without warning.”

“But in some galaxies, including UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light.”

“Despite this, UGC 11397’s actively growing black hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission.”

This led astronomers to classify it as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy, a category used for active galaxies whose central regions are hidden from view in visible light by a doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas.

“Using Hubble, we will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass,” the researchers said.

“The Hubble observations will help us weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the Universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy.”