Seeing a Galaxy

On the sixth night, Camila was looking at a distant galaxy. Its name was NGC 1068. It is one of the brightest galaxies near us.

At the centre of this galaxy is a huge black hole. The black hole is feeding on gas. The gas spirals in. It gets very hot. It glows. The black hole has the mass of ten million suns. It is 47 million light years away.

"Look," Camila said. She showed Polly a picture. There was a bright spot with two faint lobes. "The bright spot is the galaxy's centre. The lobes are jets of hot gas thrown out by the black hole."

Polly tilted her glasses.

"We are looking at this galaxy from 47 million years ago," Camila said. "The light we see now left the galaxy then. There were no humans then. Antarctica still had forests."

The telescope hummed.

"Sometimes I think," Camila said quietly, "that astronomy is mostly about feeling small and late, and then finding it comforting."

Polly tilted her head. "I do not mind being small," she said. "I mind, sometimes, being late."

Camila smiled. "You are not late. The light has been travelling for 47 million years to get here. In a way, the galaxy is happening tonight."

The Magellanic Clouds were visible. They are small galaxies near our own. The light from them is older than our species.