Megamaser UGC 6093

UGC 6093 is a barred spiral galaxy. It has arms that swirl outward from a bar slicing through the galaxy's center. It is classified as an active galaxy, which means that it hosts an active galactic nucleus, or AGN: a compact region at a galaxy's center within which material is dragged toward a supermassive black hole. As this black hole devours the surrounding matter it emits intense radiation, causing it to shine brightly. But UGC 6093 is more exotic still. The galaxy essentially acts as a giant astronomical laser that spews out light at microwave wavelengths. This type of object is dubbed a megamaser (maser being the term for a microwave laser). Megamasers such as UGC 6093 appear bright in every direction and can be some 100 million times brighter than masers found within the Milky Way.