Looks like a jet orthogonal to galactic center

• by MartinTheK

  active black hol?

  Posted January 11, 2014 2:34 AM

• by ElisabethB moderator

  The 'jet' is actually another galaxy (an edge on). Overlap for me.

  Btw, the green/red/blue object (bottom left) is an asteroid.

  Posted January 11, 2014 3:32 PM

• by JeanTate in response to MartinTheK's comment.

  It's a poor quality image, but yes, it could be an #overlap. The main galaxy does look as if it could have an AGN.

  The DR10 image is a bit clearer, but not much:

  

  EDIT: this is known interacting pair; back in 1986, W. Romanishin wrote a paper called "1240-057 - Giant jet or colliding galaxies?". Here's the abstract:

  At first glance the object 1240-057, discovered on a KPNO 4-m prime focus plate, appears to be a compact galaxy with a prominent jet emanating from its nucleus. However, the color indices of the jet-like object are not consistent with nonthermal (synchrotron) radiation, but are consistent with those of a spiral galaxy. The system is shown to be an interacting S0-spiral pair. The nucleus of the S0 galaxy shows strong H-alpha and N II forbidden line emission lines, with a high forbidden line N II/H-alpha ratio, indicating either shock ionization or photoionization by a nonstellar source. The object is of interest as a moderately active nucleus clearly triggered by galaxy-galaxy interaction.

  Posted January 11, 2014 3:40 PM