Discovery of 0.5 MK Gas in the Center of the Virgo Cluster

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Abstract
An observation of M87, the central galaxy of the Virgo Cluster, was performed by the deep survey telescope aboard the Extreme-Ultraviolet Explorer, in the 0.065-0.245 keV energy band. A point source and an extended emission halo of radius ~20' are clearly visible in the data, and represent the first detection of cluster gas emission in the EUV. The emission cannot be explained by the well-known cluster gas at X-ray temperatures. Instead, it is necessary to introduce a second gas component, with temperature between 5 × 105 and 106 K. The rapid cooling of plasmas at such temperatures implies a mass accretion rate of more than 300 M☉ yr-1. It is unlikely that the phenomenon is directly related to a cooling flow, which involves a much lower accretion rate of ~10 M☉ yr-1.

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