Billions and Billions
NGC 2146 A galaxy being stretched out of shape has been imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Known as NGC 2146, it has been severely warped and deformed so that an immense dusty arm of glittering material now lies directly in front of the centre of the galaxy, as seen in the image. NGC 2146 is classified as a barred spiral due to its shape, but the most distinctive feature is the dusty spiral arm that has looped in front of the galaxy’s core as seen from our perspective. The forces req
Astronomers report seeing supermassive black hole swallowing star: The unprecedented sight was revealed in bursts of radiation from a constellation 4.5 billion light-years away, scientists say in the journal Nature. Image: An artist’s rendering of a burst of radiation released as a supermassive black hole consumes a star. Credit: Amadeo Bachar / Nature (Source: Los Angeles Times)