NGC 1275

NGC 1275 is a giant active galaxy at the center of the Perseus Cluster. Its central supermassive black hole powers strong radio emission and energetic activity.

Perseus A: Perseus A is the radio-source designation for the powerful radio emission associated with NGC 1275. This radio source traces the galaxy’s active nucleus and extended jets.
Perseus Cluster: The Perseus Cluster is a massive galaxy cluster in the constellation Perseus, containing thousands of galaxies and hot intracluster gas. NGC 1275 lies at the cluster’s center and shapes its central gas.
Lenticular galaxy: A lenticular galaxy is a disk-shaped galaxy with a central bulge but little ongoing star formation. NGC 1275 is often classified as a peculiar lenticular galaxy.
AGN feedback: AGN feedback is the transfer of energy and momentum from an active galactic nucleus to its surrounding environment. NGC 1275’s jets and outbursts are a prominent example of this process.
M87: M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, with a supermassive black hole powering a famous relativistic jet. Like NGC 1275, it anchors a nearby cluster and launches jets, but in a different environment.
Active galactic nucleus: An active galactic nucleus is a galaxy’s compact, luminous central region powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole. NGC 1275’s energetic core is one example of this broader phenomenon.
High-velocity system: The high-velocity system is a gas-rich galaxy projected against NGC 1275 and moving rapidly relative to it. Its interaction with NGC 1275 helps explain the galaxy’s complex dust and gas features.
Seyfert galaxy: A Seyfert galaxy is a spiral or lenticular galaxy with a bright active nucleus and prominent emission lines. NGC 1275’s nucleus has Seyfert-like activity.
Cooling flow problem: The cooling flow problem is the mismatch between predicted rapid gas cooling in cluster cores and observed star formation rates. NGC 1275’s outbursts help explain why Perseus’s central gas does not cool as expected.
Quasar: A quasar is an exceptionally luminous active galactic nucleus powered by rapid accretion onto a supermassive black hole. NGC 1275 is active but far less luminous than a typical quasar.

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Brightest cluster galaxyBroader topic: Its jets and filaments reveal the interaction between a central galaxy and cluster gas.