The Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals the jet of Centaurus A, extending into the upper left corner of the image. Researchers have found new insights in the jet by focusing on the motion of the bright spots, or knots, within the jet. Image credit: Used under a CC-BY 4.0 license from D. Bogensberger et al. Astrophys. J. (2024) DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad73a1

In particular, the study looks at the high-energy jet of particles being blasted across space by the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy Centaurus A.

Jets are visible to different types of telescopes, including those that detect radio waves and others that collect X-rays. Since Chandra’s 1999 launch, many astronomers have been particularly interested in the unexpectedly bright X-ray signals from jets.

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