Figure 22-30: Galactic Gamma-Ray Bubbles This is an artist’s illustration of giant gamma-ray “bubbles” seen above and below our galactic plane, possibly due to the black hole at the galactic center. Each of the bubbles extends about 25,000 light-years away from the plane. The bubbles are estimated to be a few million years old. The gamma ray data also contain hints of linear jetlike features, which are sometimes found around black holes, but the existence of the jets is far from clear. If the jets are real, producing them might have required the black hole to consume a giant hydrogen cloud of about 10,000 solar masses, with only a small portion escaping into the jets.
(David A. Aguilar [CfA])