A spiral galaxy was found with radio jets, a feature normally seen only in giant elliptical galaxies

science & techESA/Hubble2003 · Eridanus constellation

A spiral galaxy was found with radio jets, a feature normally seen only in giant elliptical galaxies

the gist

Jets are streams of gas moving close to the speed of light, and they have long been linked with giant elliptical galaxies and galaxies that are merging. The spiral galaxy LO95 0313-192, about one billion light-years away in Eridanus, has a shape like the Milky Way, yet astronomers found intense radio jets streaming from its centre in 2003. Several other spiral galaxies with radio jets have since been identified. The growing group challenges the assumption about which galaxies can launch jets.

how it works

Jets are launched from the region around a supermassive black hole, where infalling gas heats up and magnetic fields channel some of it into narrow beams. These beams can travel enormous distances before fading, and radio telescopes detect them through the radiation of fast-moving electrons spiraling in magnetic fields.

so what

Jets are powered by material falling onto a supermassive black hole, so finding them in spirals suggests that black holes in ordinary-looking galaxies can be far more active than expected. It forces astronomers to rethink how jets form and how far they travel. The discoveries show that galaxy shape does not fully predict what happens at a galaxy's core.

ESA/Hubble · CC BY 4.0

Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

source: ESA/Hubble ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗