In fact, measurements made using this recent Chandra Observatory X-ray spectrum of active galaxy NGC 3783 reveal a wind of highly ionized atoms blowing away from the galaxy's suspected central black hole at a million miles per hour. An X-ray spectrum is the analog to the rainbow spread of colors in a visible light spectrum. It represents a detailed, spread out image of X-ray colors or energies arising from the source. Ionized atoms of iron, magnesium, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements produce patterns of absorption at known X-ray energies. These patterns have been identified in the spectrum of NGC 3783 at slightly shifted energies and the measured shifts indicate the hot wind's velocity.
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