This X-ray image of 3C273 shows a jet of energy shooting out of the quasar's bright center, thought to be home to a supermassive black hole. If you look closely you can see a small thread connecting the center to the bright spots of the jet. Scientists have observed that matter from that small thread moves very fast, then appears to slow down in the luminous part of the jet, akin to a "cosmic traffic pile-up" of matter. For more details, see Chandra Observes Cosmic Traffic Pile-Up In Energetic Quasar Jet.
