The image on the left shows the core of galaxy NGC 4261 in the Virgo Cluster. Two enormous beams of radiation stream from the ΓÇ£topΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£bottomΓÇ¥ of the core, extending thousands of light years into space. The source of these beams is believed to be an accretion disk of gas and dust surrounding a huge black hole at the galaxyΓÇÖs center. Bright jets run perpendicular to the plane of the disk, like an axle running through a wheel. We are fortunate that the ΓÇ£wheelΓÇ¥ΓÇöthe disk surrounding the black holeΓÇöis tilted in just the right direction to allow Earth-bound observers to peer inside this remarkable object.
