This Is What It Looks Like When a Black Hole Destroys a Galaxy

[The Vegan Marxist]

This Is What It Looks Like When a Black Hole Destroys a Galaxy
May 22, 2011

And you think you’ve got problems. Take a look at nearby galaxy Centaurus A, which is in a losing battle with a black hole nearly 55 million times bigger (in terms of mass) than our sun. As it dies, its guts are being sprayed out in a trail of carnage 2 million light-years long, and NASA has the intergalactic snuff film to prove it.—PZS

NASA via Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/22/astronomers-snap-black-hole-murder-in-graphic-detail-video/):

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Text and images from NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/radio-particle-jets.html):

http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/550259main_arctAfull-600.jpg

Merging X-ray data (blue) from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with microwave (orange) and visible images reveals the jets and radio-emitting lobes emanating from Centaurus A’s central black hole. Credit: ESO/WFI (visible); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al. (microwave); NASA/CXC/CfA/ R.Kraft et al. (X-ray)

http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/550261main_Cen_A_inner_jet_English_no_labels-600.jpg

Left: The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 is the radio source known as Centaurus A. Vast radio-emitting lobes (shown as orange in this optical/radio composite) extend nearly a million light-years from the galaxy. Credit: Capella Observatory (optical), with radio data from Ilana Feain, Tim Cornwell, and Ron Ekers (CSIRO/ATNF), R. Morganti (ASTRON), and N. Junkes (MPIfR). Right: The radio image from the TANAMI project provides the sharpest-ever view of a supermassive black hole’s jets. This view reveals the inner 4.16 light-years of the jet and counterjet, a span less than the distance between our sun and the nearest star. The image resolves details as small as 15 light-days across. Undetected between the jets is the galaxy’s 55-million-solar-mass black hole. Credit: NASA/TANAMI/Müller et al.

http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartothegrounduploads/550263main_CenA_optical_Capella_Obs-600.jpg

The elliptical galaxy NGC 5128, host of the Centaurus A radio source, as it appears in visible light. The galaxy is about 12 million light-years away and is one of the closest that sports an active supermassive black hole. Credit: Capella Observatory

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The TANAMI array consists of nine radio telescopes on four continents. By combining data from the individual telescopes, astronomers can acquire images with the sharpness of a single telescope some 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) across—about 80 percent of Earth’s diameter. Credit: Matthias Kadler (University of Würzburg) and J. Wilms (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/this_is_what_it_looks_like_when_a_black_hole_destr oys_a_galaxy_20110522/

[chegitz guevara]

I doubt the black hole is destroying the whole galaxy. More likely, a nebula or a few stars have fallen in.

Galactic cores, aka, super massive black holes, go through periods of "activity" and "in activity." They don't change much, actually, but as matter gets torn apart falling in, it emits jets of gas and x-rays. When nothing is falling in, no jets. We see a lot of this in much younger galaxies, which are generally in their formative period. One would also expect to see it for a time in elliptical galaxies, because those are produced by the merger of galaxies, which throws off the orbits of lots of things, leading to stuff falling in to the black holes. And who knows what happens when two super massive black holes fall into each other. That must be an amazing sight.

[Revolution starts with U]

Ya, I remember reading once that even when Andromeda merges with the Milky Way, most star systems won't see any major effects... maybe a tad brighter sky.
It's pretty cool to think about tho; a black hole a light year across... epic

[The Vegan Marxist]

See guys, the world did end! Just not ours! lol

[pranabjyoti]

Well, it will. Once the hydrogen of the Sun will closing to depletion, it then will begin to burn Helium and it will blow up and gobble Mercury, Venus and then Earth in the process. The matter that it will emit will blow gaseous covers of outer gas planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and what will remain is their rocky core which will eventually flown into space and the lighter Sun can not have the gravitational force to hold the smaller, lighter rocky cores in their place. The Earth may not be gobbled but it will be just roasted by the inflated Sun.
WELL, EVERYTHING IS MATTER OF SIX BILLION YEARS OR MORE. So, at least no worry for now.:laugh: