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Zoom into Close-Up of Jet Inside Galaxy 3C 264

This time-lapse movie of an extragalactic jet was assembled from 20 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations of the core of the elliptical galaxy NGC 3862. The blowtorch of ejected plasma is powered by energy from a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. Once the movie was made, astronomers could easily follow the motion of a string of knots moving along the jet. They were surprised to see that one of the knots caught up with and "rear-ended" the knot in front of it, causing it to brighten. The new analysis suggests that shocks produced by collisions within the jet further accelerate particles that are confined to a narrowly focused beam of radiation. The jet is blasting across space at nearly the speed of light.

Release Date
May 27, 2015
Science Release
Hubble Video Shows Shock Collision Inside Black Hole Jet
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Credit
NASA, ESA, and E. Meyers (STScI); Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

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Active Galaxy 3C 264 (NGC 3862)

[Left] In this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the central region of the galaxy NGC 3862, an extragalactic jet of material moving at nearly the speed of light can be seen at the three o'clock position. The jet of ejected plasma is powered by energy from a supermassive black...

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