APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Micro-Quasar GRS1915 Puffs
Explanation: On the far side of our Galaxy , gas clouds explode away from a small black hole . This might seem peculiar, as black holes are supposed to attract matter. But material falling toward a black hole collides and heats up, creating an environment similar to a quasar that is far from stable. In the above time-lapse sequence , micro-quasar GRS1915 expels bubbles of hot gas in spectacular jets . These computer enhanced radio images show one plasma bubble coming almost directly toward us at 90 percent the speed of light , and another moving away. Each of the four frames marks the passage of one day. Originally detected on October 29th, these bubbles have now faded from view.
| Date | December 2, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: R. Spencer (U. Manchester) et al., MERLIN, Jodrell Bank |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |



