(Press-News.org)
VIDEO:
Spectacular jets powered by the gravitational energy of a supermassive black hole in the core of the elliptical galaxy Hercules A illustrate the combined imaging power of two of astronomy's...
Click here for more information.
Spectacular jets powered by the gravitational energy of a super massive black hole in the core of the elliptical galaxy Hercules A illustrate the combined imaging power of two of astronomy's cutting-edge tools, the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3, and the recently upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico.
Some two billion light-years away, the yellowish elliptical galaxy in the center of the image appears quite ordinary as seen by Hubble in visible wavelengths of light. The galaxy is roughly 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way and harbors a 2.5-billion-solar-mass central black hole that is 1,000 times more massive than the black hole in the Milky Way. But the innocuous-looking galaxy, also known as 3C 348, has long been known as the brightest radio-emitting object in the constellation Hercules. Emitting nearly a billion times more power in radio wavelengths than our Sun, the galaxy is one of the brightest extragalactic radio sources in the entire sky.
The VLA radio data reveal enormous, optically invisible jets that, at one-and-a-half million light-years wide, dwarf the visible galaxy from which they emerge. The jets are very-high-energy plasma beams, subatomic particles and magnetic fields shot at nearly the speed of light from the vicinity of the black hole. The outer portions of both jets show unusual ring-like structures suggesting a history of multiple outbursts from the super massive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
The innermost parts of the jets are not visible because of the extreme velocity of the material, which causes relativistic effects that beam the light away from us. Far from the galaxy, the jets become unstable and break up into the rings and wisps.
The entire radio source is surrounded by a very hot, X-ray-emitting cloud of gas, not seen in this optical-radio composite.
Hubble's view of the field also shows a companion elliptical galaxy very close to the center of the optical-radio source, which may be merging with the central galaxy. Several other elliptical and spiral galaxies that are visible in the Hubble data may be members of a cluster of galaxies.Hercules A is by far the brightest and most massive galaxy in the cluster.
INFORMATION:
A multi-wavelength view of radio galaxy Hercules A
2012-11-30
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Mediation with art therapy can change your brain and lower anxiety
2012-11-30
(PHILADELPHIA) – Cancer and stress go hand-in-hand, and high stress levels can lead to poorer health outcomes in cancer patients. The Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine combined creative art therapy with a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for women with breast cancer and showed changes in brain activity associated with lower stress and anxiety after the eight-week program. Their new study appears in the December issue of the journal Stress and Health.
Daniel Monti, MD, director of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine ...
Birds may spread, not halt, fever-bearing ticks
2012-11-30
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 30, 2012 – Turkey raises and releases thousands of non-native guineafowl to eat ticks that carry the deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Yet research suggests guineafowl eat few ticks, but carry the parasites on their feathers, possibly spreading the disease they were meant to stop, says a Turkish biologist working at the University of Utah.
"They are introducing a species that is not eating many ticks, based on studies of stomach content, and is carrying the ticks, which are the best conduit for spreading Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever," ...
Obese children more vulnerable to food advertising
2012-11-30
Cincinnati, OH, November 30, 2012 -- Rates of childhood obesity have tripled in the past 30 years, and food marketing has been implicated as one factor contributing to this trend. Every year, companies spend more than $10 billion in the US marketing their food and beverages to children; 98% of the food products advertised to children on television are high in fat, sugar, or sodium. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers used neuroimaging to study the effects of food logos on obese and healthy weight children.
Amanda S. Bruce, ...
More neurologists and neurosurgeons are associated with fewer deaths from strokes in the US
2012-11-30
Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, have found an association in the United States between a higher density of neurologists and neurosurgeons and a decreased risk of death from stroke. The findings of their study are described in the article "Association of a higher density of specialist neuroscience providers with fewer deaths from stroke in the United States population. Clinical article," by Atman Desai, M.D., and colleagues, published today online, ahead of print, in the Journal of Neurosurgery. ...
Concussion and its association with contact sports
2012-11-30
Charlottesville, VA (November 30, 2012). The JNS Publishing Group is pleased to announce that the December issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to Concussion: Pathophysiology & Sequelae. Guest editors Paul S. Echlin (Elliott Sports Medicine Clinic, Burlington, ON, Canada), M. Sean Grady (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), and Shelly D. Timmons (Geisinger Medical Center/Neurosurgery, Danville, PA) selected 11 articles for this issue that focus on methods of diagnosing concussion and evaluating its consequences, structural and functional changes that can ...
Employee Sues Clothing Retailer For Racial Discrimination
2012-11-30
Employee sues clothing retailer for racial discrimination
A former employee of a clothing chain is suing the company for racial discrimination, alleging that she was fired from her job for being African American.
According to the complaint, the employee overheard the executive vice president of the company telling her district manager that the employee "wasn't the right fit for the store" and that it would be preferable to hire someone "with blond hair and blue eyes." The employee says she was fired from her position soon after that conversation.
Allegedly, ...
Facebook Increasingly Tied to Divorce
2012-11-30
Facebook Increasingly Tied to Divorce
Facebook and other social media websites have become integrated into the everyday lives of most Americans. Some keep in touch with loved ones far away, others keep friends and family up to date on their daily lives and some use social media to network with individuals in their field of work. The use of social media does not always have positive results, however. For example, a recent study uncovered that approximately one-third of divorces filed in the United States today mention the word "Facebook."
Social Media Used ...
Safe Driving Tips For Winter Weather In Massachusetts
2012-11-30
Safe driving tips for winter weather in Massachusetts
Cold winter weather can often be accompanied by dangerous driving situations, and it is especially important to keep safety in mind when driving during the winter months. While driving in snow and ice can be nerve wracking, there are many precautions a driver can take to increase safety.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember during the winter months is that a person should only drive when it's absolutely necessary. Avoiding driving when the weather is extreme is the easiest way to stay safe. However, if ...
New York's Domestic Incident Report Repository is Live, Raising Concerns
2012-11-30
New York's Domestic Incident Report Repository is live, raising concerns
Law enforcement officials, legislators, state prosecutors and victims' advocates are hailing New York's new electronic Domestic Incident Report Repository as a win for the state. However, advocates of the DIRR may overlook the negative implications the database may have on those included on domestic reports, including those accused of committing domestic violence and those who are innocent but implicated in a report.
What is the Domestic Incident Report Repository?
The Domestic Incident Report ...
Former NHL Analyst Pleads Guilty To DWI, Avoids Deportation To Canada
2012-11-30
Former NHL analyst pleads guilty to DWI, avoids deportation to Canada
The arrest and subsequent plea of a former NHL player on DWI charges prompts a look at New York's tough DWI laws and how an experienced criminal defense attorney can help those accused of DWI build successful cases.
Former NHL player and ESPN hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby pled guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol, refusing a breath test, failing to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of a change in address and driving with unsafe tires.
According to ESPN, Barnaby was visibly ...