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A supermassive black hole, weighing as much as 20 million Suns, has left behind a 2,00,000-light-year-long condensed trail of newborn stars, twice the diameter of the Milky Way galaxy, in its wake, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), US.

Captured accidentally by NASA‘s Hubble Space Telescope, the black hole was seen racing through the intergalactic space so fast that, within our solar system, it could travel from Earth to the Moon in 14 minutes.

“We think we’re seeing a wake behind the black hole where the gas cools and is able to form stars. So, we’re looking at star formation trailing the black hole,” said Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, US.

“What we’re seeing is the aftermath. Like the wake behind a ship, we’re seeing the wake behind the black hole,” said van Dokkum.

The researchers have published their paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

They said that the black hole lies at one end of the column, at the other end of which lies its parent galaxy. They think that the gas is being ‘shocked’ and heated from the motion of the black hole hitting the gas, or it could be radiation from an accretion disk around the black hole.

“This is pure serendipity that we stumbled across it,” van Dokkum added. He was looking for globular star clusters in a nearby dwarf galaxy.

“I was just scanning through the Hubble image and then I noticed that we have a little streak. I immediately thought, ‘oh, a cosmic ray hitting the camera detector and causing a linear imaging artifact.’ When we eliminated cosmic rays we realized it was still there. It didn’t look like anything we’ve seen before,” said van Dokkum.

Van Dokkum and his team followed up the sight with spectroscopy with the W M Keck Observatories in Hawaii. The star trail being “quite astonishing, very, very bright and very unusual” made them conclude that they were looking at the aftermath of a black hole flying through a halo of gas surrounding the host galaxy.

Astronomers suspect this phenomenon to likely be the result of multiple collisions of supermassive black holes, the first two having perhaps merged 50 million years ago. Brought together closer at their centres, they whirled around each other as a binary black hole, they said.

Then came another galaxy with its own supermassive black hole, mixing up the three to form a chaotic and an unstable configuration. One of the black holes robbed momentum from the other two black holes and got thrown out of the host galaxy, they said.

Following this, the remaining binary system of black holes shot off in the opposite direction, they said.

There is a feature seen on the opposite side of the host galaxy that might be the runaway binary black hole. Circumstantial evidence for this is that there is no sign of an active black hole remaining at the galaxy’s core, they said.

The next step, they said, would be to do follow-up observations with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory to confirm the black hole explanation.

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Astronaut Captures Rare ‘Gigantic Jet’ Lightning Extending 50 Miles Above Earth

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10 hours ago

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March 6, 2025

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Astronaut Captures Rare ‘Gigantic Jet’ Lightning Extending 50 Miles Above Earth

A rare ‘gigantic jet’ of lightning has been photographed from space, extending nearly 50 miles above the U.S. coastline. The image was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on November 19, 2024, but was not immediately shared by space agencies. The phenomenon was later discovered on NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website by photographer Frankie Lucena, who specialises in capturing rare lightning events. The images were subsequently highlighted by Spaceweather.com on February 26.

Jet Likely Originated Over Louisiana

According to Spaceweather.com, the ISS was positioned over the Gulf of Mexico at the time of the capture, suggesting that the lightning jet likely originated from a thunderstorm near New Orleans. Due to dense cloud cover in the image, the precise location could not be determined. Four images of lightning were identified in the astronaut’s photography sequence, but only one captured the distinct upward-shooting jet.

Understanding Gigantic Jets

Gigantic jets are powerful electrical discharges that travel upward from thunderstorms when charge layers within the clouds become inverted. Unlike conventional lightning that strikes downward, these jets extend into the ionosphere, the atmospheric layer beginning around 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. As per Spaceweather.com, these jets emit a blue glow due to interactions with nitrogen in the upper atmosphere and last for less than a second.

Uncommon but Extremely Powerful

Reports indicate that while gigantic jets were first documented in 2001, scientists estimate that around 1,000 could occur annually, though most go undetected. The most powerful recorded jet was observed in May 2018 over Oklahoma, carrying nearly 60 times the energy of a typical lightning strike. These events often conclude with red branching tendrils, similar to lightning phenomena known as sprites, but classified as separate occurrences.

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Solar Storm to Trigger Northern Lights in US: Visibility, Timing & Impact



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Solar Storm to Trigger Northern Lights in US: Visibility, Timing & Impact

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11 hours ago

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March 6, 2025

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Solar Storm to Trigger Northern Lights in US: Visibility, Timing & Impact

A solar storm is set to reach Earth tonight, with potential geomagnetic activity that could make the northern lights visible as far south as New York and Idaho. The event is the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun, which was recorded on March 1. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified this as a G1-level geomagnetic storm, with a possibility of stronger G2 conditions. As a result, skywatchers in mid-latitudes may witness the aurora borealis in areas where the skies remain clear.

Geomagnetic Storm Forecast and Impact

According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the CME is expected to make contact with Earth’s magnetic field between March 4 and March 5. The intensity of the storm is predicted to peak between 7:00 p.m. EST and 10:00 p.m. EST on March 5. While a G1 storm is considered minor, space weather physicist Tamitha Skov has indicated that G2 storm conditions remain a possibility, increasing the chances of a more widespread auroral display.

Geomagnetic storms occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetosphere, potentially affecting satellite communications, power grids, and GPS accuracy. Experts have advised that radio operators, GPS users, and drone pilots may experience signal disruptions, especially during nighttime hours when such interference is more pronounced.

Visibility and Viewing Conditions

As per reports, aurora visibility will largely depend on atmospheric clarity and light pollution levels. NOAA’s storm classification system places G1 storms as minor, meaning that the northern lights will likely be seen closer to high-latitude regions. If G2 storm conditions occur, visibility could extend further south. Observers are advised to find dark locations away from city lights for the best viewing experience.

For real-time updates and forecasts, space weather monitoring agencies continue to track the storm’s progression.

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NASA Tests Advanced Infrared Technology to Improve Wildfire Monitoring

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11 hours ago

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March 6, 2025

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NASA Tests Advanced Infrared Technology to Improve Wildfire Monitoring

Wildfires in California during January caused widespread destruction, affecting communities and ecosystems. To improve wildfire monitoring and response, NASA deployed a new scientific instrument capable of capturing high-resolution thermal infrared images. The Compact Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (c-FIRST) was tested aboard NASA’s B200 King Air aircraft over fire-hit areas in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The instrument, developed for satellite-based missions, was assessed for its ability to provide real-time data on active and smoldering fires. Scientists aim to use this technology to enhance understanding of wildfire behavior and improve mitigation strategies.

Enhanced Fire Detection and Data Collection

According to reports, the c-FIRST instrument was developed and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office. The compact design allows it to be deployed on airborne platforms, simulating satellite missions while providing near-instantaneous observations. The system captures a wide range of fire characteristics, including temperature variations across large areas. Unlike previous infrared imaging systems, c-FIRST can detect extremely high temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (550 degrees Celsius) with improved clarity.

In a statement, Sarath Gunapala, principal investigator for c-FIRST at NASA JPL, noted that current fire observation instruments do not fully capture fire attributes across the Earth system. He explained that limitations in past imaging technologies have resulted in gaps in data concerning wildfire frequency, size, and intensity.

Potential Benefits for Fire Management

As per sources, c-FIRST is expected to provide critical insights for firefighting agencies by identifying smoldering fires that could reignite under changing wind conditions. In a report, Gunapala stated that the instrument’s ability to distinguish such fires in near real-time could support more effective wildfire management efforts.

KC Sujan, operations engineer for the B200 King Air, told that the aircraft’s flight characteristics made it ideal for testing the instrument. With further evaluation, c-FIRST is expected to be integrated into future satellite missions, potentially improving global wildfire monitoring capabilities.

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.

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