The spiral galaxy Messier 77 (NGC 1068), as observed by ALMA and the Hubble Space Telescope (IMAGE)

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

The spiral galaxy Messier 77 (NGC 1068), as observed by ALMA and the Hubble Space Telescope

Caption

Hydrogen cyanide isotopes (H13CN), shown in yellow, are found only around the black hole at the center. Cyanide radicals (CN), shown in red, appear not only in the center and a large-scale ring-shaped gas structure, but also along the bipolar jets extending from the center towards the northeast (upper left) and southwest (lower right). Carbon monoxide isotopes (13CO), shown in blue, avoid the central region.

Credit

ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, T. Nakajima et al.

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