NGC 1275 consists of two galaxies, a centraltype-cD galaxy in the Perseus Cluster, and a so-called high velocity system (HVS) which lies in front of it. The HVS is moving at 3000 km/s[4] towards the dominant system, and is believed to be merging with the Perseus Cluster. The HVS is not affecting the cD galaxy as it lies at least 200 thousand light years from it.[5] Howevertidal interactions are disrupting it and theram pressure produced by its interaction with theintracluster medium of Perseus is stripping its gas as well as producing large amounts of star formation within it.[6]
Wide multi-wavelength composite view of NGC 1275. An activesupermassive black hole in the galaxy powers strong jets of particles into the Perseus Cluster, causing the gas present to reach 60 million degrees Celsius and emit X-ray light (in blue).
The central cluster galaxy contains a massive network ofspectral line emitting filaments,[7] which apparently are being dragged out by rising bubbles ofrelativisticplasma generated by the centralactive galactic nucleus.[8] Long gaseous filaments made up of threads of gas stretch out beyond the galaxy, into the multimillion-degree, X-ray–emitting gas that fills the cluster. The amount of gas contained in a typical thread is approximately one million times the mass of theSun. They are only 200 light-years wide, are often very straight, and extend for up to 20,000 light-years.[9]
The existence of the filaments poses a problem. As they are much cooler than the surrounding intergalactic cloud, it is unclear how they have existed for such a long time, or why they have not warmed, dissipated or collapsed to form stars.[10][11] One possibility is that weak magnetic fields (about one-ten-thousandth the strength of Earth's field) exert enough force on theions within the threads to keep them together.[10][11]
The presence of an active nucleus demonstrates that asupermassive black hole is present in NGC 1275's center. The black hole is surrounded by a rotating disk of molecular gas.[14] High-resolution observations of the rotation of this disk obtained usingadaptive optics at theGemini North telescope indicate a central mass of approximately 800 millionsolar masses, including both the mass of the black hole and of the inner core of the gas disk.[15]
^Gallagher JS, Lee M, Canning R, Fabian A, O'Connell RW, Sanders J, et al. (2010). "Dusty Gas and New Stars: Disruption of the High Velocity Intruder Galaxy Falling Towards NGC 1275".Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society.42: 552.Bibcode:2010AAS...21536308G.
^Marsden BG (29 January 1968)."Circular No. 2051".Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Retrieved2 December 2024.
^"SN 1968A".Transient Name Server.IAU. Retrieved29 March 2023.
^Luckas P, Trondal O, Schwartz M, Newton J, Puckett T, Peoples M, et al. (2006). "Supernovae 2005my, 2005mz, 2005na".International Astronomical Union Circular (8655): 1.Bibcode:2006IAUC.8655....1L.
^"SN 2005mz".Transient Name Server.IAU. Retrieved29 March 2023.
^"SN2024xav".Transient Name Server.IAU. Retrieved28 August 2024.
