CXO 0312 Fiore P3

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CXO 0312 Fiore P3 (CXOUJ031238.9-765134): A possible Type 2 quasar veiled black hole.
(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO, Optical: ESO/La Silla)

Caption: In this image, X-ray contours are overlaid on an optical image. The X-ray contours and the colors in the optical image represent brightness levels of the X-ray and optical emission, respectively. When viewed with an optical telescope this galaxy, located 2.5 billion light years from Earth, appears normal. But the Chandra observation discovered an unusually strong source of X rays concentrated in the central regions of the galaxy. The X-ray source could be another example of a veiled black hole associated with a Type 2 Quasar. This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that our census of energetic black hole sources in galaxies is far from complete.

Scale: Image is 18.7 arcsec on a side.

Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS Image

CXC operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
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