# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DAPDG3ltxfN
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35585035-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/18a8838f66.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-09-22T21:50:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

Hubble time! 🌌

@hubbleesa has a lot to show in this picture: Bright stars twinkle in the foreground, thanks to their proximity within our galaxy, each one adorned with Hubble’s signature diffraction patterns. But the real star of the show lies 240 million light-years away in the southern constellation Telescopium — meet the stunning spiral galaxy IC 4709!

IC 4709’s swirling disc of stars and dust bands is beautifully captured, along with a faint, ethereal halo. But what truly steals the spotlight is the compact, incredibly bright region at its core. This is no ordinary galactic nucleus — it’s an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole a mind-blowing 65 million times the mass of our Sun!

As gas spirals into this cosmic giant, it heats up to extreme temperatures, emitting a dazzling array of electromagnetic radiation, from visible light to X-rays. Although the AGN is partially hidden by a lane of dark dust, Hubble’s extraordinary resolution lets us peer into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse. This close-up view is crucial for understanding black holes in even more distant galaxies, where such fine details are impossible to see.

This image combines data from two Hubble surveys, also featuring insights from the Swift X-ray/UV telescope. Our Euclid telescope is currently adding its own observations in optical and infrared light, helping us unlock the mysteries of black holes and their impact on the galaxies they call home.

📸 @europeanspaceagency / @hubbleesa & @NASA, M. Koss, A, Barth; @creativecommons CC BY 4.0

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 41,200
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 49

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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