Hubble has spotted a bizarre space object that the ESA says can be defined as multiple things all at once.
Meet Z 229-15, a celestial object that depending on how you feel, could be one of three different things – all at once. Shared as the European Space Agency’s “Picture of the Week” for the week of March 27, an image of Z 229-15 showcases what makes this bizarre space object so intriguing, and why it has left many astronomers in awe since its initial discovery.
Located roughly 390 million light-years from Earth in the Lyra constellation, Z 229-15 is one of a few celestial objects that can be classified as multiple things. The ESA says that the object can be a quasar, and sometimes it can be defined as an active galactic nuclear . Other times it is defined as a Seyfert galaxy. Further, the ESA says that this bizarre space object is all of those things at once due to an overlap in the definition of those terms. And it is indeed a galaxy.
But what makes this celestial object a Seyfert galaxy? Well, that’s where the quasar involved in Z 229-15 comes into play. See, most quasars are so bright they drown out the light from the stars within their galaxies. Sometimes. However, in this case, the stars are clearly visible, making the quasar in this bizarre space object much dimmer than usual, creating what astronomers call a Seyfert galaxy.
It’s intriguing to find a cosmic object that is so many things definitively. Further, it’s even more amazing to be able to look at the image that Hubble captured above and see all of those things for yourself, thanks to the powerful instruments aboard the now-aging telescope.
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The eyes have it! Focus on microgravity's impact on astronaut visionLeonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being 'Moon Rush: The New Space Race' published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote 'Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet' released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He was received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.
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