Hubble reveals a galaxy feeding its black hole

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the spiral galaxy UGC 11397 in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). The light captured in this striking image traveled for 250 million years before reaching the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. What reached Hubble’s lens is not just a breathtaking image of stars and dust, but a glimpse into one of the universe’s most powerful engines - a growing supermassive black hole. “At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral...