CanariCam studies the polarization produced by the gas and dust around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way
CanariCam studies the polarization produced by the gas and dust around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way
Created at
Credits
CanariCam
Description
The colour scale in the image shows the amount of infrared (heat) radiation coming from warm dust particles in the filaments and luminous stars within a light year of the Galactic centre. The position of the black hole is indicated by an asterisk. The lines trace the magnetic field directions and reveal the complex interactions between the stars and the dusty filaments, and the impact that they and the gravitational force has on them. The observations were made with the largest telescope in Europe, which allowed details of the fine structure in the magnetic fields to be revealed for the first time. Credit CanariCam.