Hubble telescope spots 'strangely alive' green blob in outer space
The bright green object stretched 300,000 light years
One of the most fascinating discoveries in space across recent years was found by the Hubble telescope, as it was able to spot an eerie luminescent green blob that has been described as 'strangely alive'.
Space is home to many things that are challenging to explain, and telescopes are often how we're able to get a glimpse of these phenomena far beyond our comprehension.
From floating bodies of water born out of black holes far older than Earth itself to new types of planet that are only just being discovered, so much of what is found within space isn't quite explained.
Advert
One thing that really took experts aback upon discovery was Hanny's Voorwerp ('Hanny's Object' in Dutch), which appeared as a 'strangely alive' luminous green blob floating in space.
It is understood, as outlined by NASA's 'Space Oddity' entry, to be "the only visible part of a 300,000-light-year-long streamer of gas stretching around the galaxy, called IC 2947."
The only reason we're able to see this gas streamer is because it has been illuminated by a beam of light from a nearby quasar, giving it its bright green look that makes it so distinct.
Concerning the quasar in question, if you're unaware these are extremely rare objects powered by supermassive black holes, and are "amongst the most luminous objects in the known Universe, typically emitting thousands of times more light than the entire Milky Way," as per Hubble.
General theories outline that this quasar in particular will have turned off around 200,000 years ago, yet it's luminescence remains clearly shown in Hanny's Voorwerp through glowing oxygen.
Studies from Galaxy Zoo outline that there is no evidence that the quasar is still bright, as the data from the Hubble telescope shows "no highly-ionized gas near the center," which might be expected if it remained alive but blocked by dust clouds.
Images from the Hubble telescope also show a pocket of star clusters at the tip of Hanny's Voorwerp, indicated by the spots of orange within the overwhelming green.
It's likely that even the youngest stars within these clusters are several million years old, showing just how long this particular peculiar object has existed within the vast stretches of outer space.
The area was also likely subject to a galaxy merger around a billion years ago, with complex dust patches and warped spiral arms showing clear signs of disturbance within IC 2947.