Nebulae

Hubble view of green filament in galaxy Mrk 1498

April 2, 2015 · ESA/Hubble · Draco

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This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows ghostly green filaments, lying within galaxy Mrk 1498. This filament was illuminated by a blast of radiation from a quasar — a very luminous and compact region that surrounds the supermassive black hole at the centre of its host galaxy.

Its bright green hue is a result of ionised oxygen, which glows brightly at green wavelengths.

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