DARK RAYS IN IC 5063
© NASA/ESA
In the heart of this Hubble image, bright light rays and dark shadows can be seen from the galaxy IC 5063, which lies 156 million light years from Earth. Hidden deep within the core is a supermassive black hole which astronomers think is surrounded by a ring of dust. When light from the black hole hits the denser regions of dust, some of the light is blocked by the disc, creating shadows that stretch through space. If the light manages to pass through the gaps in the ring, rays of light can be seen.