A massive black hole present at the center of a galaxy is battering a nearby galaxy with powerful jets of particles, according to latest images released by NASA.
The two galaxies are in the process of merging with each other but the smaller one has unfortunately come in the way of the jet's line that is powerful enough to destroy any planets that is positioned in its way.
Lead researcher, Dan Evans from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said that it was the first time that such a spectacle has been witnessed. "We've seen many jets produced by black holes, but this is the first time we've seen one punch into another galaxy like we're seeing here. This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummeling", he added.
The images of these powerful jets were obtained courtesy of the Chandra X-ray Observatory owned by NASA. Latest observations show there may be supermassive black holes at the center of the two galaxies that are on the verge of merging.
Jets of particles from supermassive black holes are known to produce X-rays, gamma rays and electrons in huge quantities. These particles travel with the speed of light as well. Evans said that the so-called "Death Star" galaxy began blasting the nearby galaxy about 1 million years ago, which meant they could learn a lot from this event.
The details of this study are due to appear in a forthcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
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