Interacting galaxies 3C 321. Visible light image of the two galaxies in the 3C 321 system,which includes a powerful radio jet (not seen at visible light wavelengths). The jet,composed of high-energy particles,is being generated by a supermassive black hole at the centre of the larger galaxy (lower left),and is impacting the smaller companion galaxy. A large dust lane (black) is also seen in the larger galaxy. 3C 321 is 1.25 billion light years from Earth,in the constellation Serpens Caput. This image was obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). For a series of images of 3C 321,from a study carried out in 2007,including visible,radio,ultraviolet and X-ray observations that show the radio jet,see images R826/124 to R826/130 |