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Galactic center with a very weak aurora in the foreground
This picture is of our galactic center with a very weak aurora in the foreground. Scientists believe there is a supermassive black hole at our galactic center. Infra-red astronomy indicates an extremely massive 3-4 million solar mass object at the center with intense radio output. The intense radio output of this object is best modeled by matter being ground up as it spirals towards a super massive object, creating two huge jets of extremely hot material. To the best of our knowledge, this object is best described as a black hole.
This photo was taken in Antarctica. The National Science Foundation runs the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). In addition to maintaining three U.S. research stations on the continent, USAP supports research projects in an array of scientific disciplines including, for example, aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and education programs are also supported. For more information about USAP, visit the program's website Here. [Note: Please see special restrictions regarding use of this image, below.] (Date of Image: June 2010)
Credit: Daniel Luong-Van
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