Fermi Space TelescopeActive galaxy TXS 0128+554 is circled in red in the middle of a star field.
Aug. 26, 2020
NASA Missions Explore a ‘TIE Fighter’ Active Galaxy
A purple TIE-fighter-shaped active galaxy sits in the center of a black background.
This image shows TXS 0128 at 15.4 gigahertz as observed by the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a globe-spanning network of radio antennas. The colors correspond to the radio signal’s intensity, from low (purple) to high (yellow).
Credits: NRAO
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-missions-explore-a-tie-fighter-active-galaxy
This illustration shows two views of the active galaxy TXS 0128+554, located around 500 million light-years away.
Left: The galaxy’s central jets appear as they would if we viewed them both at the same angle.
The black hole, embedded in a disk of dust and gas, launches a pair of particle jets traveling at nearly the speed of light.
Scientists think gamma rays (magenta) detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope originate from the base of these jets.
As the jets collide with material surrounding the galaxy, they form identical lobes seen at radio wavelengths (orange).
The jets experienced two distinct bouts of activity, which created the gap between the lobes and the black hole.
Right: The galaxy appears in its actual orientation, with its jets tipped out of our line of sight by about 50 degrees.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
A GIF of radio images of active galaxy TXS 0128+554
This animation shows the changing appearance of active galaxy TXS 0128 at six radio wavelengths measured by the Very Long Baseline Array: 2.3, 5, 6.6, 8.4, 15.4, and 22.2 gigahertz (GHz).
Credits: NRAO/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center