NASA / ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured the shimmering spiral galaxy UGC 3478 that is hiding a dark secret, or a growing giant black hole which astronomers call an active galactic nucleus, or AGN. It’s located 128 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Camelopardalis.
UGC 3478 is technically classified as a Seyfert galaxy, which mean it has an AGN at its core and the brightness that you see actually hides a supermassive black hole at the center. We can also observe a disc of gas spiraling into this black hole, and as the material crashes together and heats up, it emits very strong radiation. Even with this supermassive black hole, we can still clearly see the disc of the galaxy around it, a signature of Seyfert galaxies.
- NASA rocket model kit – Launch into a creative project with the LEGO Icons NASA Artemis Space Launch System model building project for adult space...
- What’s in the box? – This creative building set includes everything you need to craft a multistage rocket with 2 solid-fuel boosters, an Orion...
- Features and Functions – This NASA-themed rocket model features retractable launch tower umbilicals, rocket support and crew bridge, detachable...
Many active galaxies are known to astronomers at vast distances from Earth, thanks to the great brightness of their nuclei highlighting them next to other, dimmer galaxies. At 128 million light-years from Earth, UGC 3478 is positively neighbourly to us.,” said the ESA.
