RIGHT BG
(ECNS) – Astronomers from China have observed two new megamasers in an extra galaxy some 40 million light years away from the Earth, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Megamasers are a million times more luminous than normal galactic maser sources, and can help scientists understand the origins and characteristics of extra galaxies.
The SiO (silicon monoxide) and CH3OH (methanol) megamasers were detected near the center of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 via the IRAM 30m telescope, one of world's argest and most sensitive millimeter radio telescopes, located in Spain.
Wang Junzhi, a researcher from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory who is leading the research, said the SiO megamaser originated from a nuclear disk near the galaxy's black hole, while the CH3OH one originated from shock fronts.
The discovery increases the number of known megamaser molecules from three to five. Before these, scientists had found only H2O, OH and H2CO to form megamasers.
A report of the finding has been published in a recent issue of Nature Communications.
Copyright ©1999-2018
Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
