Space

A black hole has blasted out a surprisingly powerful jet in the distant universe, according to a new study from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and discussed in our latest press release. This jet exists early enough in the cosmos that it is being illuminated by the leftover glow from the big bang itself.

Astronomers used Chandra and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to study this black hole and its jet at a period they call “cosmic noon,” which occurred about three billion years after the universe began. During this time most galaxies and supermassive black holes were growing faster than at any other time during the history of the universe.

Read More from NASA.

Honestly a little disappointed

This week Ayers has a time-lapse sequence she captured from the Cupola as the International Space Station soared near Central and South America.

The most distinct feature is a lightning strike near Panama City. This illuminates the clouds below. Above the strike is a reddish phenomenon known as a sprite, which sometimes occurs in the atmosphere between 50 and 90 km above a lightning strike near the surface of the planet. This appears to be a "jellyfish" sprite. It is rendered beautifully.

But wait, there's more! The lightning strike is so bright that its reflection can be seen in the space station's structure, at the top of the image. Additionally the atmosphere's airglow can be clearly seen in the orange line just above the atmosphere.