This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of the giant galaxy M87 shows a 3000-light-year-long jet of plasma blasting from the galaxy’s 6.5-billion-solar-mass central black hole. The blowtorch-like jet seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. These novae are not caught inside the jet, but are apparently in a dangerous neighbourhood nearby. During a recent 9-month survey, astronomers using Hubble found twice as many of these novae going off near the jet as elsewhere in the galaxy. The galaxy is the home of several trillion stars and thousands of star-like globular star clusters.
LoveAndAbsQueen on October 2nd, 2024 at 13:41 UTC »
It’s mind blowing to think about what’s happening out there in space
greatunknownpub on October 2nd, 2024 at 13:44 UTC »
Can anyone do the math on how fucking large that is?
IrritatedAvians on October 2nd, 2024 at 13:50 UTC »
Source