From Earth observations, astronomers were aware that the mixed spiral galaxy NGC 5728 was a Seyfert galaxy. But it was not until the Hubble Space Telescope that the galaxyΓÇÖs core, with its two conical beams of glowing gas streaming into space, could be observed in detail.
Astronomers believe a black hole lurks at the center of this galaxy, drawing its sustenance from an enormous accretion disk. The disk, with its matter heated by the gravitational force of the black hole, projects two streams of visible and ultraviolet light several thousand light years into space. As the galaxy rotates, the two beams sweep through space like intergalactic searchlights.
