Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2025 May 9
         [2]An artist's illustration of what the surroundings of the
    supermassive black hole at the center of BL Lac is shown. A white jet
   protrudes horizontally toward the bottom of the image, emanating from a
       orange accretion disk surrounding a black hole. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                       IXPE Explores a Black Hole Jet
                Illustration Credit: [3]NASA, [4]Pablo Garcia

   Explanation: How do black holes create X-rays? Answering this
   long-standing question was significantly [5]advanced recently with data
   taken by NASA’s [6]IXPE satellite. X-rays cannot exit a [7]black hole,
   but they can be created in the [8]energetic environment nearby, in
   particular by a [9]jet of particles moving outward. By observing
   [10]X-ray light arriving from near the [11]supermassive black hole at
   the center of galaxy [12]BL Lac, called a [13]blazar, it was discovered
   that these X-rays lacked significant [14]polarization, which is
   expected when created more by energetic [15]electrons than [16]protons.
   In the [17]featured artistic illustration, a powerful [18]jet is
   depicted emanating from an orange-colored [19]accretion disk circling
   the black hole. [20]Understanding highly [21]energetic processes across
   the universe helps humanity to understand [22]similar [23]processes
   that occur on or near [24]our Earth.

            Put it All Together: [25]Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                    Tomorrow's picture: Yogi on Mars: 3D
     __________________________________________________________________

      [26]< | [27]Archive | [28]Submissions | [29]Index | [30]Search |
   [31]Calendar | [32]RSS | [33]Education | [34]About APOD | [35]Discuss |
                                    [36]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [37]Robert Nemiroff ([38]MTU) & [39]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([40]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [41]Specific rights apply.
            [42]NASA Web Privacy, [43]Accessibility, [44]Notices;
                A service of: [45]ASD at [46]NASA / [47]GSFC,
                         [48]NASA Science Activation
                           & [49]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2505/BLlac_NasaGarcia_4580.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablo-garcia-a943116
   5. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv250501832A/abstract
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/imaging-x-ray-polarimetry-explorer-ixpe/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/black-holes/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031128.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240507.html
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250504.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_Lacertae
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazar
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(waves)
  15. https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whelect.html
  16. https://home.cern/news/news/physics/proton-century
  17. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/ixpe/nasas-ixpe-reveals-x-ray-generating-particles-in-black-hole-jets/
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210622.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190820.html
  20. https://thestatetimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Cuteness-640x381.jpg
  21. https://chandra.si.edu/art/xray/
  22. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/aurora/en/
  23. https://home.cern/science/physics
  24. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
  25. https://www.scigames.org/apps/webjigsaw2/index.php
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250508.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  32. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  35. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250509
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250510.html
  37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  38. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  39. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  40. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  45. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  48. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  49. http://www.mtu.edu/