From BBC News: A small black hole has been observed blowing a vast bubble of hot gas 1,000 light-years across. The gas is expanding because it is being heated by powerful particle "jets" being released by the black hole. More at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10555633.stm
In before "blowing hot gas from my black hole" jokes start. That's pretty damn cool; I love following new astronomy findings, and that one's pretty freaky. I can only assume it's trying to kill a rival galaxy...
I read that article yesterday. To put it into perspective, they said if the black hole was the size of a soccer ball on Earth, the jet would reach Pluto.
I saw the picture first, and I thought a black hole was gonna eat the sun or something. Then I read the article =D
No idea. They spotted it through one of the world's largest telescopes so they must have a photo of it... possibly not that close up/clear though.
It's just an artist's depiction. Hot gases wouldn't show up in visible light, much like most planetary nebulae (supernova remnants); they'd have to be photographed at specific wavelengths and turned into a false colour composite to give you an idea of its size and what it consists of, but you wouldn't be able to see it directly. The jets might be visible to a certain degree, though not like they appear in the image.
You know, that thing that used to be a planet, but aint no more. Has a moon, but aint a planet. *sigh*
Pluto has three moons. And it is a planet. It's just a dwarf planet. Currently being considered for its own TLC reality show, "Little planets, big galaxy."
What makes Pluto a dwarf planet but the restricts the larger sized rocks that also orbit the sun to being mere asteroids? It sounds like I've worded that wrong but it's 4:45am and I don't care.
