Tag

Intergalactic Space

All articles tagged with #intergalactic space

astronomy2 years ago

Unexplained Space Explosion Baffles Astronomers

Astronomers have discovered a luminous fast blue optical transient (LFBOT) explosion, nicknamed the Finch, in intergalactic space, far from any galaxy. LFBOTs were previously thought to only occur within galactic borders, leading to the belief that they were a type of massive supernova. However, the Finch's location challenges this hypothesis. LFBOTs are extremely bright and brief, at least 10 times brighter than a normal supernova, and are thought to be caused by a dying star's core collapsing into a neutron star or black hole. Another possibility is a collision between two neutron stars. Further research is needed to determine the true nature of LFBOTs.

science2 years ago

"Runaway Black Hole Creates Trail of New Stars, NASA Observes"

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of a supermassive black hole, believed to be a "runaway black hole," that is traveling through intergalactic space at an incredible speed, leaving behind a 200,000-light-year-long "contrail" of newborn stars. The black hole is plowing into gas in front of it to trigger new star formation along a narrow corridor, rather than gobbling up stars ahead of it. The image was stumbled upon accidentally while analyzing images obtained by the Hubble telescope.