Illustration of spiraling, dense wind (IMAGE)

Northwestern University

Illustration of spiraling, dense wind

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 centre. Colored lines with arrows show the motions of the gas traced by light from molecules of hydrogen cyanide and seen with the ALMA telescope (blue indicated motion towards us and red away).

Credit

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

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