redwhine wrote:2014 July 3 - OCO-2 Night Launch

I must have forgotten to change the date. This is the picture for the 4th of July. Too late to edit it!

redwhine wrote:2014 July 5 - M106 Across the Spectrum

But this composite highlights two anomalous arms in radio (purple) and X-ray (blue) that seem to arise in the central region of M106, of energetic jets of material blasting into the galaxy's disk. The jets are likely powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole.

Maybe, but aren't such jets usually emitted normally to the plane of the galaxy, from around the central black hole (BH)?

EDIT: Of course, a jet implies a black hole that is feeding, and that is why galaxies don't send out jets all the time. Maybe this one has some pretty large, off centre BHs which ARE feeding, and a central one that isn't.

DavidMcC wrote:

redwhine wrote:2014 July 5 - M106 Across the Spectrum

But this composite highlights two anomalous arms in radio (purple) and X-ray (blue) that seem to arise in the central region of M106, of energetic jets of material blasting into the galaxy's disk. The jets are likely powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole.

Maybe, but aren't such jets usually emitted normally to the plane of the galaxy, from around the central black hole (BH)?

Normally to the equator of the source BH, I think, which may or not be aligned with the plane of the galaxy (if I'm making any sense)

Made of Stars wrote:

DavidMcC wrote:

redwhine wrote:2014 July 5 - M106 Across the Spectrum

But this composite highlights two anomalous arms in radio (purple) and X-ray (blue) that seem to arise in the central region of M106, of energetic jets of material blasting into the galaxy's disk. The jets are likely powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole.

Maybe, but aren't such jets usually emitted normally to the plane of the galaxy, from around the central black hole (BH)?

Normally to the equator of the source BH, I think, which may or not be aligned with the plane of the galaxy (if I'm making any sense)

Absolutely. That is exactly what I was thinking.
It does imply that the peripheral BHs are very big, I suppose. Perhaps they were the result of that galaxy merging with a couple of smaller ones, but without too much distortion of its shape.

The 2014 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition has received more outstanding pictures than ever before. The judges talk about what drives a community of avid star gazers and look through some of this year's shortlisted entries, astounding images include: Star trails sweeping over the Giant's Causeway, dust clouds moulded into colossal arrangements by cosmic radiation and a bright meteor passing over Indonesia's smoke-spewing Mount Bromo.
http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitio ... f-the-year

I somehow doubt that the moon is big enough to eclipse Saturn! It seems much more likely that it's simply night-time on half of Saturn.

LATE EDIT: Ok, Saturn was setting behind the moon, not being eclipsed by it. I hadn't noticed that its rings were also partly in the dark. Sorry.

DavidMcC wrote:I somehow doubt that the moon is big enough to eclipse Saturn!

...yet it manages to eclipse the (much larger) Sun occasionally!

DavidMcC wrote:It seems much more likely that it's simply night-time on half of Saturn.

LATE EDIT: Ok, Saturn was setting behind the moon, not being eclipsed by it. I hadn't noticed that its rings were also partly in the dark. Sorry.

APOD wrote:Technically termed an occultation...

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010908.html

redwhine wrote:

DavidMcC wrote:I somehow doubt that the moon is big enough to eclipse Saturn!

...yet it manages to eclipse the (much larger) Sun occasionally!

I was waitimg for someone to say that, because, of course, eclipsing is about casting shadows, not obscuring the body.

DavidMcC wrote:It seems much more likely that it's simply night-time on half of Saturn.

LATE EDIT: Ok, Saturn was setting behind the moon, not being eclipsed by it. I hadn't noticed that its rings were also partly in the dark. Sorry.

APOD wrote:Technically termed an occultation...

...

Exactly! Not an "eclipse".