Recent images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope have illuminated one of the brightest cosmic scenes in the universe.
Messier 77 (M77), commonly referred to as the Squid Galaxy, features swirling tentacles of dust and gas extending into the depths of intergalactic space.
What sets this galaxy apart, located an astounding 47 million light-years from Earth, is the brilliant rays of light emanating from its core.
The new images highlight the remarkable activity of this galactic nucleus. According to Dr. Darren Baskill, an astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex, “Look how bright the center of this galaxy is compared to the trillions of stars surrounding it,” as reported by BBC Science Focus.
“For many years, the reason behind the incredible brightness of these galactic centers puzzled astronomers, but calculations and observations have shown that the only plausible explanation for such luminous entities is that substantial amounts of gas are spiraling into the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center.”
The term “super-sized” inadequately describes M77. With a staggering 8 million solar masses, it boasts a mass double that of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center.
Furthermore, Baskill notes a significant distinction: “A massive amount of gas is descending in a disk towards the supermassive black hole at the core of M77. In contrast, our Milky Way galaxy is relatively quiet, with only rare stars drifting into its central black hole.”
“This stark difference in gas activity accounts for the dramatic luminosity contrast between M77 and our galaxy.”
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
