Revealing Galactic Secrets
The VLT Survey Telescope has captured the​ ​most​ ​detailed​ ​image​ ​yet​
​of​ ​the​ ​galaxy NGC​ ​1316​ ​and its rich surroundings.
This galaxy is part of the Fornax Cluster of galaxies and has lived through tempestuous times.
It’s the result of several​ ​smaller galaxies​ ​crashing​ ​together​.
These events distorted NGC 1316 and its companions,
and also created many shells and​ ​loops​ ​of​ ​stars​ around it.
The mergers also fueled a ravenous supermassive​ ​black​ ​hole​ at the galaxy’s centre,
150 million times the mass of the Sun.
Intense jets of high-energy particles from this black hole make NGC 1316
the fourth-brightest radio source in the sky.
So not only is NGC 1316 a beautiful galaxy on the outside, but it​ ​also​ ​has​ ​wonders buried​ ​within​.
Transcribed by ESO, Translated by —