Nearly 100 scientists have studied a distant galaxy. Strange jets come out of it

As part of the new study, scientists made more than 200 observations of the galaxy using a 0.9-meter

reflecting telescope in the observatory of the ObservatoryWest Mountain. Astronomers combined the observations with data from the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT). The WEBT network allows you to monitor objects from different locations around the clock.

Using WEBT observations made in the summer2020, astronomers have discovered surprisingly fast fluctuations in brightness in the central jet of the BL Lac galaxy. Scientists attribute these strange cycles of brightness changes to rotations in its magnetic field. Their research was recently published in the journal Nature.

Relativistic jets are jets of plasma escaping from the centers (nuclei) of astronomical objects such as active galaxies, quasars and radio galaxies.

The observatory that carried out the observations is at dusk. Credit: Mark A. Philbrick

As a co-author of the study noted, “Remarkably,that in this age of giant telescopes and space exploration, it is still necessary to rely on modestly sized and well-equipped facilities to explore unknown corners of the universe.” We are talking about the 0.9-meter reflecting telescope of Brigham Young University.

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On the cover: an artistic depiction of a BL Lac jet with a spiral magnetic field. Credit: Iris Nie

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