Spiraling wind illustration (IMAGE)

Northwestern University

Spiraling wind illustration

Caption

A spiraling wind helps the supermassive black hole in galaxy ESO320-G030 to grow, assisted by magnetic fields. In this illustration, the core of the galaxy is dominated by a rotating wind of dense gas leading outwards from the (hidden) supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s very center. The motions of the gas, traced by light from molecules of hydrogen cyanide have been measured with the ALMA telescope.

Credit

M.D. Gorski/Aaron Geller/Northwestern University/CIERA

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