Not everything gets swallowed by a black hole. Some matter gets caught in powerful magnetic fields and blasted out at nearly the speed of light. These “relativistic jets” can stretch for hundreds of thousands of light-years—longer than an entire galaxy. The exact process behind them isn’t fully understood, but they make black holes some of the most energetic objects in the universe.
Enjoyed this article?
Get daily 10-minute PDFs about astronomy to read before bed!
Sign up for our upcoming micro-learning service where you will learn something new about space and beyond every day while winding down.