When Galaxies Collide

A galaxy far, far away—1.4 billion light-years, to be precise—is conjuring up visions of the ultimate weapon in the Stars Wars universe: the planet-shattering Death Star. NASA astronomers studying the system 3C321 have spotted a jet emanating from the supermassive black hole in one galactic core (lower left pink blob) as it strikes a second galaxy orbiting 850,000 light-years away (upper right pink blob)—the first time such a fleeting event has been observed without assistance from the Force. After scouring the edge of the second galaxy, the jet is deflected like water from a hose hitting a narrow obstacle (shown in blue in the composite image above). Any planet caught in the stream—no matter how peaceful—would find its atmosphere severely damaged, researchers noted.
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