Article Posted on : - Dec 11, 2009

The composite image of data provided by the three telescope shows an ongoing collision between the two galaxies, NGC 6872 and IC 4970. Image credit: NASA

WASHINGTON (BNS): Two galaxies, which are undergoing a process of collision, have been captured by three separate telescopes.

Data provided by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope and ESO's Very Large Telescope show the galaxies – NGC 6872 and IC 4970 – in the process of undergoing a collision.

According to astronomers, most of the galaxies contain supermassive black holes at their cores. Not only do the galaxies and black holes seem to co-exist, they are apparently inextricably linked in their evolution.

To better understand this symbiotic relationship, scientists have turned to rapidly growing black holes – so-called active galactic nucleus (AGN) – to study how they are affected by their galactic environments, NASA said.

The latest composite image derived out of the data provided by the three telescopes shows that the small galaxy IC 4970 contains an AGN which is heavily shielded in gas and dust.

However, the galaxy IC 4970 itself does not have much hot gas to fuel the growth of the AGN. Where does the black hole get its food supply from?

The answer, said NASA, lies with its partner galaxy, NGC 6872.

These two galaxies are in the process of undergoing a collision, and the gravitational attraction from IC 4970 has likely pulled over some of NGC 6872's deep reservoir of cold gas, providing a new fuel supply to power the giant black hole.