Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Jet from Galaxy M87

NASA ^ | August 28, 2011 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: What's causing a huge jet to emanate from the center of galaxy M87? Although the unusual jet was first noticed early in the twentieth century, the exact cause is still debated. The above picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1998 shows clear details, however. The most popular hypothesis holds that the jet is created by energetic gas swirling around a massive black hole at the galaxy's center. The result is a 5000 light-year long blowtorch where electrons are ejected outward at near light-speed, emitting eerily blue light during a magnetic spiral. M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy residing only 50 million light-years away in the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The faint dots of light surrounding M87's center are large ancient globular clusters of stars.

[CyberAnt]

There’s a geat DVD - “The Priviledged Planet” - written to two Christian scientists.

They say that we’re in a perfect spot in the universe and if we were a few degrees in one direction we’d be frozen like Mars, and a few degrees in the other direction and we’d be a ball of fire like the Sun.

Plus, we’re perfectly situated to view the rest of the universe.

I never get tired of watching it. I too believe God watches over us - all the time.

[NormsRevenge]

HubbleSite M87

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/query/m87/

[SunkenCiv]

“Gonzalez is an assistant research professor of astronomy and physics at Iowa State, Richards has a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary”

IOW, one is not a scientist, and the other isn’t listed on the faculty directory:

http://www.physastro.iastate.edu/directory/

It wasn’t any more convincing when a couple of scientists tried it:

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe
Peter D. Ward & Donald Brownlee

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

An Encyclopedia Galactica, but you must have 900 terabytes free on your hard drive.

[SunkenCiv]

Pull my really big galactic finger.

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.privilegedplanet.com/authors.php

[null and void]

Which is precisely why we have the abridged children’s version.

[no-to-illegals]

The abridged children's version is used on me quite often. Keeps on topic, and posts from being pulled. Finger pulling would be best guess, where fingers to keyboard kind of pulling. Thanks for the ping SunkenCiv.

[null and void]

Yes. Look around the planet. It’s definitely the age appropriate version for earth...

[CyberAnt]

The key was: “Christians”

Sorry you missed that.

[SunkenCiv]

Christian scientists — followers of Mary Baker Eddy?

[CyberAnt]

Who is ..??