Where In The Universe #87

Here’s this week’s image for the Where In The Universe Challenge, to test your visual knowledge of the cosmos. You know what to do: take a look at this image and see if you can determine where in the universe this image is from; give yourself extra points if you can name the instrument responsible for the image. We’ll provide the image today, but won’t reveal the answer until tomorrow. This gives you a chance to mull over the image and provide your answer/guess in the comment section. Please, no links or extensive explanations of what you think this is — give everyone the chance to guess.

UPDATE: Answer is now posted below.

This is a composite image from Chandra, Hubble, VLA and MERLIN that shows the jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy striking the edge of another galaxy, which in 2007, was the first time such an interaction has been found. This system, known as 3C321, is located in the constellation Serpens, and is about 1.4 billion light years from Earth. X-ray data from Chandra shows up in purple; optical and ultraviolet (UV) data from Hubble are seen as red and orange, and radio emission from the Very Large Array (VLA) and MERLIN (Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network at Jodrell Bank) in blue show how the jet from the main galaxy on the lower left is striking its companion galaxy to the upper right. The jet impacts the companion galaxy at its edge and is then disrupted and deflected, much like how a stream of water from a hose will splay out after hitting a wall at an angle. Find out more about the image at the Chandra website.

Check back next week for another