Artist's Conception of Planet-Mass Objects (IMAGE)

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Artist's Conception of Planet-Mass Objects

Caption

This artist's conception portrays a collection of planet-mass objects that have been flung out of the galactic center at speeds of 20 million miles per hour (10,000 km/s). These cosmic "spitballs" formed from fragments of a star that was shredded by the galaxy's supermassive black hole.

Credit

Mark A. Garlick / CfA

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