Hercules A
16h 51m 08.15s, +04° 59′ 33.32″| Hercules A | |
|---|---|
J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Right ascension | 16h 51m 08.15s |
| Declination | +04° 59′ 33.32″ |
| Distance | 2.1 Gly (643.9 Mpc) |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | cD; E3 |
| Other designations | |
| Herc A, 3C 348 | |
Hercules A is a bright astronomical radio source in the constellation Hercules[1] corresponding to the galaxy 3C 348.
Observation
 |
During a survey of bright radio sources in the mid-20th century, astronomers found a very bright radio source in the constellation Hercules. The radio source is strongest in the middle range frequency and emits
Characteristics
Galaxy
The galaxy, 3C 348, is a supergiant elliptical galaxy. It is classified as type E3 to E4 of the updated Hubble–de Vaucouleurs extended galaxy morphological classification scheme. Little else is known about the galaxy.
3C 348, the galaxy at the image center, appears to be a relatively normal elliptical galaxy in visible light. When imaged in radio waves, however, plasma jets over one million light years long appear. Detailed analyses indicate that the galaxy is actually over 1,000 times more massive (approx. 1015
See also
References
- ^ "A Multi-Wavelength View of Radio Galaxy Hercules A". NASA.
- ^ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (5 December 2012). "Plasma Jets from Radio Galaxy Hercules A". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA.Portions of this public domain text are used here.