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Japan, Ogasawara
Stargazing Tour - Observe the best starry sky in Japan, Ogasawara!
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Quiet Stargazing
Large Hubble Survey Confirms Link between Mergers and Supermassive Black Holes with Relativistic Jets
Explore the profound quiet of the universe through NASA's high-resolution archives. Perfect for your stargazing journey.
Celestial Log
NASA Observation
Tidal disruption event Every galaxy has a black hole at its center. Usually they are quiet, without gas accretions, like the one in our Milky Way. But if a star creeps too close to the black hole, the gravitational tides can rip away the star’s gaseous matter. Like water spinning around a drain, the gas swirls into a disk around the black hole at such speeds that it heats to millions of degrees. As an inner ring of gas spins into the black hole, gas particles shoot outward from the black hole’s polar regions. Like bullets shot from a rifle, they zoom through the jets at velocities close to the speed of light. Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope observed correlations between supermassive black holes and an event similar to tidal disruption, pictured above in the Centaurus A galaxy. Certain galaxies have shining centers, illuminated by heated gas circling around a supermassive black hole. Matter escapes where it can, forming two jets of plasma moving near the speed of light. To learn more about the relationship between galaxies and the black holes at their cores, go to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/ -------------------------------- Original caption: A team of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope found an unambiguous link between the presence of supermassive black holes that power high-speed, radio-signal-emitting jets and the merger history of their host galaxies. Almost all galaxies with the jets were found to be merging with another galaxy, or to have done so recently. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
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Experience the serenity of the cosmos
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Knowledge Base
Stargazer FAQ
Are the colors in this nebula image real?
NASA often uses 'false color' techniques. Scientists map invisible wavelengths (like infrared) or specific gases to visible colors (red, green, blue) to highlight the nebula's structural details.
Can I see this nebula with a standard telescope?
While some bright nebulas are visible with entry-level telescopes, capturing these stunning details usually requires deep-sky astrophotography equipment and long exposures.