The Radio Galaxy 3C288

This is an unusual radio galaxy. It has double lobes with plume-like extensions. Astronomers believe that the jets are fueled by material accreting onto a super-massive black hole at the center of the host galaxy (not shown in this image). The high energy particles are confined to remarkably well collimated jets, and are shot into extragalactic space at speeds approaching the speed of light, where they eventually balloon into massive radio lobes. The overall size of this source is 104 kpc, and there is an abbreviated jet and counterjet.