The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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This artist’s concept illustrates the possible structure of the central core of the galaxy UGC05101 situated in the constellation Ursa Major , approximately 550 million light years away from the Earth. Termed an ‘ultraluminous infrared galaxy,’ the total energy it emits in the infrared alone is about one trillion times more than the that of the Sun. However, the central region is covered by a thick interstellar medium and can only be observed in the Infrared. Observations with AKARI have revealed evidence for active phenomena in the central part of this galaxy.
It has been postulated that at the centre of UGC05101 is a giant black hole, of mass more than a million times that of our Sun. In this case, the material around it would be expected to radiate enormous amounts of energy as it slowly tumbles into the black hole.