scinerds:

scinerds:

A Black Hole Overflows (NASA, Chandra, 2/2/09) (by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center)

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has helped create a spectacular view of Centaurus A that shows the effects of a supermassive black hole. At the center of this nearby galaxy, a central black hole powers jets and lobes that flare against a background of stars and stardust. In the upper left of the image, an X-ray jet extends about 13,000 light years away from the black hole. The material in that jet is travelling at about half the speed of light.

Image credit:
X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al.; Submillimeter: MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al.; Optical: ESO/WFI

Read more/larger images:
chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/cena/

Learn more about Chandra:
www.nasa.gov/chandra/

(via dendroica)