Universe  ID: 12136

Galactic Flare

Story by NASA Viz Team Released on January 28, 2016
Download Options
NASA's Fermi mission detects an outburst of high-energy light from a source more than halfway across the universe.
Gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light, can be observed throughout the cosmos. But detecting emissions of very high energy from distant sources is extremely rare. So astronomers were surprised when, in April 2015, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope saw a spike in gamma rays from a galaxy more than halfway across the universe. The galaxy, known as PKS 1441+25, is a type of active galaxy called a blazar. At its heart lies a monster black hole with a mass estimated at 70 million times the sun's. As material falls toward the black hole, some of it forms dual particle jets that blast out of the disk in opposite directions at nearly the speed of light. Although blazars are the most common sources of gamma rays detected by Fermi, PKS 1441+25 is one of only two such distant objects for which astronomers recorded emissions with energies greater than a hundred billion times that of visible light. Watch the video to learn more.
Download Options
Explore the challenges in detecting gamma rays from far away sources like galaxy PKS 1441+25 in this video.
Download Options
Galaxy PKS 1441+25 (center) is located more than half the universe away. Its light takes 7.6 billion years to reach Earth.
Download Options
A long time ago the galaxy underwent a major eruption that sent a surge of high-energy gamma rays into space.
Download Options
NASA's Fermi satellite detected the gamma rays in 2015. Scientists say the light is some of the highest-energy seen from a galaxy so distant.
 

Source Material

NASA's Fermi Satellite Kicks Off a Blazar Bonanza

For More Information

NASA.gov

Story Credits

Visualizers/Animators:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
Cruz deWilde (Avant Gravity)

Video Editor:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Narrator:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Lead Producer:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Writer:
Francis Reddy (Syneren Technologies)

Lead Writer:
NASA Viz Team

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12136

Keywords:
SVS >> Astrophysics
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Universe