RocketSTEM Issue #11 - April 2015 | Page 34

6. Magnetic monster NGC 1275 This stunning image of NGC 1275 was taken using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys in July and August 2006. It provides amazing detail and resolution of the fragile filamentary structures, which show up as a reddish lacy structure surrounding the central bright galaxy NGC 1275. These filaments are cool despite being surrounded by gas that is around 55 million degrees Celsius hot. They are suspended in a magnetic field which maintains their structure and demonstrates how energy from the central black hole is transferred to the surrounding gas. By observing the filamentary structure, astronomers were, for the first time, able to estimate the magnetic field’s strength. Using this information they demonstrated how the extragalactic magnetic fields have maintained the structure of the filaments against collapse caused by either gravitational forces or the violence of the surrounding cluster during their 100-million-year lifetime. The filaments seen here can be a gaping 200 000 lightyears long. The entire image is approximately 260 000 light-years across. Credit: NASA, ESA and Andy Fabian (University of Cambridge, UK)