NASA wants to show you the best fireworks display in the universe

NASA wants to show you the best fireworks display in the universe
(Image credit: NASA)

Somewhere in the deepest reaches of space, aliens are chanting "USA! USA! USA!"

OK, that might be a stretch. But 23 million light years away, in a galaxy known as NGC 4258, there is a fireworks display so impressive it might just blow away the space-time continuum.

"Rather than paper, powder, and fire," NASA says, "this galactic light show involves a giant black hole, shock waves, and vast reservoirs of gas." So why is that so spectacular? NASA says:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

[S]hock waves, similar to sonic booms from supersonic planes, are heating large amounts of gas — equivalent to about 10 million suns. What is generating these shock waves? Researchers think that the supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 4258 is producing powerful jets of high-energy particles. These jets strike the disk of the galaxy and generate shock waves. These shock waves, in turn, heat the gas — composed mainly of hydrogen molecules — to thousands of degrees. [NASA]

You can check out all the spectacular photos at NASA.gov, but here's a teaser:

See more
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Nico Lauricella

Nico Lauricella was editor-in-chief at TheWeek.com. He was formerly the site's deputy editor and an editor at The Huffington Post.