Outburst in NGC 660
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 305-meter William E. Gordon Telescope at Arecibo discovered an outburst in NGC 660, a spiral galaxy 44 million light-years distant in the constellation Pisces. The outburst, thought to be from a powerful belch by a gorging black hole at the galaxy’s center, was ten times brighter than the largest supernova, or exploding star.
Credit: Minchin et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF (HSA); Travis Rector, Gemini Observatory, AURA (optical)
| Technical Details | |
|---|---|
| Telescope | 305-meter William E. Gordon Telescope |
| Band | - |
| Date | 2012-07-29 |
| Field of View | 0.0007 x 0.0005 arcminutes |
