View image details

What has appeared as a mild-mannered elliptical galaxy in previous studies is revealing its wild side in new images taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble photos show shells of stars around a bright quasar, known as MC2 1635+119, which dominates the center of the galaxy. The shells' presence indicates a titanic clash with another galaxy in the relatively recent past. The collision also is funneling gas into the galaxy's center and is feeding a supermassive black hole. The accretion onto the black hole is the source of the quasar's energy. This observation supports the idea that at least some quasars are born from interactions between galaxies.

此前它被认为是一个“温和的”椭圆星系，但在哈勃的慧眼之下露出了狂野的一面。哈勃拍摄的照片相识出了这颗明亮类星体，MC2 1635+119周围由恒星构成的壳层。这个壳层的存在表明在过去不久发生过星系之间的大碰撞。这次碰撞把气体送进星系中心，为巨型黑洞提供了燃料。黑洞吸积是类星体的能量来源。这次观测支持了至少一些类星体是由星系碰撞所产生的想法。