Galaxy blasts neighbor with deadly jet (NASA labels it the "death star Galaxy")

MSNBC ^ | December 17, 2007 | Dave Mosher

[NYer]

For the first time astronomers have witnessed a supermassive black hole blasting its galactic neighbor with a deadly beam of energy.

The "death star galaxy," as NASA astronomers called it, could obliterate the atmospheres of planets but also trigger the birth of stars in its wake of its destructive beam. Fortunately, the cosmic violence is a safe distance from our own neck of the cosmos.

"We've seen many jets produced by black holes, but this is the first time we've seen one punch into another galaxy like we're seeing here," said Dan Evans, astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. "This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummeling."

Evans and his colleagues detail their findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

Cosmic death
The deadly galaxy — the largest of two in a system known as 3C321 — is aiming the high-energy jet from its center at a smaller galaxy 20,000 light-years away from it, or roughly the distance from Earth to the Milky Way's core. The entire system is located about 1.4 billion light-years away from Earth.

A bright spot in a NASA composite image reveals that the beam is striking the edge of the smaller galaxy, deflecting the spindle of energy into intergalactic space. While not a direct hit, astronomers said the consequences are frightening.

"This is a fascinating result, and we can be glad that we're seeing it from a safe distance," said Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York who did not contribute to the study. "Knowing how lethal the radiation from the jet could be, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near its line of fire."

[NYer]

This artist's impression of 3C321 shows the main galaxy and the companion galaxy. A jet of particles generated by a supermassive black hole at the center of the main galaxy is striking the companion galaxy. The jet is disrupted and deflected by this impact. The actual composite image of the phenomenon can be seen below.

This composite image shows the jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy, at left, striking the edge of another galaxy. The image combines X-ray emissions seen by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (purple), optical and ultraviolet data from the Hubble Space Telescope (red and orange) and radio emissions from the Very Large Array and the MERLIN array (blue).

[Admin Moderator]

The General/Chat/Science/Astronomy topics are ideal for this subject.

[Dog]

Alien death rays...

Marvin is ticked.

[End Times Sentinel]

OMG! Remember the guy in the next cube I told you about??? I think this is about him!

[SIDENET]

Galaxy fight!!!

[Dog]

But AM this is news...death rays from outer space.....don’t happen everyday.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

OMG....I told you.

[SIDENET]

Looks like some shouldn't have ordered the chili.

[Dog]

Somebody got their day ruined.

Its not beautiful in that neighborhood.

[Admin Moderator]

Something must be happening. I’ve got another guy posting materials engineering stuff under “Philosophy.”

[the invisib1e hand]

beebers on stune!

***

"you shall see signs in the sky...."

[Dog]

I told you...Marvin is not happy.

[digger48]

Marvin is ticked.

"Bring me the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator"

[the invisib1e hand]

artist's impression

ahh, yes. the devil's in the details.

[Dog]

ROFL!

[the invisib1e hand]

Galaxy blasts neighbor with deadly jet

Was it hijacked? Any sounds like "Allah akbar" being picked up?

[darkwing104]

We're doomed...Cool stuff.

[NYFreeper]

In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power... on your home planet of Alderaan.

[SunkenCiv]

Aiiiiiiiiiieeeee!

Caught on tape: Death star galaxy
AP on Yahoo | 12/17/07 | Seth Borenstein - ap
Posted on 12/17/2007 4:48:05 PM EST by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1940835/posts