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PIX4584544: Primitive black hole - Artist view - Primitive Black hole - Artist view - Artist view of a primitive galactic black hole. The presence of 13 billion-year-old black holes was observed by the Spitzer space telescope. These distant black holes appear in the early stages of their formation; their accretion disc contains no dust. This artist's conception illustrates one of the most primitive supermassive black holes known (central black dot) at the core of a young, star-rich galaxy. Astronomers using Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope have uncovered two of these early objects, dating back to about 13 billion years ago. The monstrous black holes are among the most distant known, and appear to be in the very earliest stages of formation, earlier than any observed so far. Unlike all other supermassive black holes probed to date, this primitive duo, called J0005-0006 and J0303-0019, lacks dust. As the drawing shows, gas swirls around a black hole in what is called an accretion disk. Usually, the accretion disk is surrounded by a dark doughnut-like dusty structure called a dust torus. But for the primitive black holes, the dust tori are missing and only gas disks are observed. This is because the early universe was clean as a whistle. Enough time had not passed for molecules to clump together into dust particles. Some black holes forming in this era thus started out lacking dust. As they grew, gobbling up more and more mass, they are thought to have accumulated dusty rings. This illustration also shows how supermassive black holes can distort space and light around them (see warped stars behind black hole). Stars from the galaxy can be seen sprinkled throughout, and distant mergers between other galaxies are illustrated in the background / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611219: Galaxy M106 in Hunting Dogs - Galaxy M106 - The galaxy M106 (NGC 4258) is about 24 million years away - light from Earth. It is an active galaxy with a black hole in its center. Lower right is NGC 4217 galaxy. Spiral galaxy M106, at upper left, is located in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Numerous other smaller galaxies are also seen in the frame, the most prominent being NGC 4217 at lower right. At 25 million lights years away, M106 is the closest example of a Seyfert galaxy, where large amounts of gas are thought to be falling into a massive black hole in the center of the galaxy / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611306: Spiny lobster or burail lobster and mantis shrimp or squille - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus, and mantis shritis shmp, Squilla mantis - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611324: Imperiale fritillaire ou crown imperiale - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611496: Indian Rhinoceros and Cape Daman - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Indian rhino, Rhinoceros unicornis (vulnerable), and rock hyrax, Procavia capensis Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Antoine de Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” 1837 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607332: The New Horizons probe - The New Horizons spacecraft - The New Horizons probe at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in November 2005. The New Horizons probe was launched on 19 January 2006 to Jupiter, then Pluto and Charon, which it reached in 2015 and Kuiper's objects in 2020. In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers begin installing the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) onto the New Horizons spacecraft for a fit check. The RTG is the baseline power supply for New Horizons, scheduled to launch in January 2006 on a journey to Pluto and its moon, Charon. It is expected to reach Pluto in July 2015 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607428: A probe explores Europe's underground ocean - Illustration - Europa Submersible Probe - Illustration - Artist's view of a space probe exploring Europe's underground ocean. Ice covers the surface of this Jupiter satellite; it is believed that under the tens of km thick of this ice, water in the liquid state could exist. A remote - controlled submersible probe pokes around beneath the icy mantle of Europa. The probe is designed to fit down a narrow hole, with the lights mounted on deployable rods, and small motorized wheels mounted on the fairings (hard to see here). Antennae trail behind. Power and warmth are provided by a SNAP generator near the rear. Stereo cameras are in front. Water intakes for chemical analysis are behind the front fairing. Attitude control is provided by small thrusters. Main propulsion comes from a small propellor equipped with a Kort nozzle. The oceans of Europa and the other Galilean moons could prove to be the most surprising environments in the solar system, Bergeron, Joe / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611532: Spiral galaxy NGC 4565 in Berenice's Hair - Spiral galaxy NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices - The galaxy NGC 4565 is located about 30 million years ago - light from Earth. It's a spiral galaxy seen by the slice. Image obtained with a 50 cm telescope, composite of several poses. Edge - on galaxy located at about 30 million light years away / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611595: Spiral galaxy of the Sombrero M104 infrared view - Sombrero galaxy seen in infrared - Infrared image of the spiral galaxy M104 (Sombrero galaxy), located about 28 million years ago - light, obtained with the Spitzer space telescope in 2004 and January 2005. Infrared radiation shows the dust of the disc visible throughout the circumference. A high emission also comes from the center of the galaxy where a supermassive black hole is thought to reside there. This spiral galaxy is located some 28 million light - years away. The infrared image obtained by Spitzer space telescope in 2004 and 2005 pierces through the obscuring dust, along with the bulge of stars. It shows that the disk is warped, which is often the result of a gravitational encounter with another galaxy; clumpy areas spotted in the far edges of the ring indicate young star - forming regions. Spitzer detected infrared emission not only from the ring, but from the center of the galaxy too, where there is a huge black hole, believed to be a billion times more massive than our Sun / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611598: Spiral galaxy of Sombrero M104 in the Virgin - The Sombrero galaxy (M104) in Virgo - The spiral galaxy M104 (NGC 4594, Sombrero galaxy) is located about 28 million years ago - light. Image obtained with the ANTU telescope of the VLT on January 30, 2000. The light from this remarkable spiral system is dominated by the billions of old, faint stars that form the vast 'bulge' around its tiny hidden nucleus. Most spirals, including the Milky Way, have clouds of old, faint stars around their nuclei, but in M104 the galaxy's light is dominated by them. This effect is enhanced because disk of the galaxy is seen nearly edge - on and dust in its outer parts is in silhouette as it crosses the picture. The galaxy is about 28 million light years distant. This image was obtained with FORS1 instrument on ANTU telescope at Paranal observatory on January 30 2000 / Bridgeman Images