A “Death Star galaxy”, in which a powerful jet from a supermassive black hole is blasting thousands if not millions of planets, has been spotted by astronomers for the first time.

In a display of cosmic violence that has never been seen before, the jet of radiation is pummelling a small nearby galaxy, likely damaging or even destroying any planets that might lie in its path.

The event may, however, be an example of the Universe’s capacity for creative destruction: astronomers think that a fresh burst of star formation is likely to be triggered as a result.

The remarkable fate of part of galaxy 3C321, which lies 1.4 billion light years away in the constellation of Serpens, has been captured using three of Nasa’s orbiting telescopes as well as two ground-based observatories.

The Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes, which observe in the visible, X-ray and infrared spectrums respectively, and the Very Large Array and Merlin radio telescopes on Earth, all contributed to the discovery.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American University of Natural History, who is not a member of the research team but has seen its results, said it was just as well the action is taking place 1.4 billion light years away.

“This is a fascinating result, and we can be glad that we’re seeing it from a safe distance,” he said. “Knowing how lethal the radiation from the jet could be, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near its line of fire.”

The system has been nicknamed the “Death Star” galaxy after the battlestation from the Star Wars movies, which was capable of unleashing a laser beam that could destroy planets.

Something similar may be happening to many worlds in the 3C321 system. It contains two galaxies orbiting one another, which lie just 20,000 light years apart, roughly the distance from the Earth to the centre of the Milky Way.

The larger of the two galaxies has a supermassive black hole at its heart, and this has been producing a jet composed of radiation, particularly high-energy X-rays and gamma rays, along with particles travelling at close to the speed of light.

The smaller galaxy has apparently swung into the path of this jet. While this may not be sufficiently powerful to blow planets to smithereens like the Imperial Death Star, the effect on any life in its path would be similar. It would severely damage planetary atmospheres, stripping away layers such as the band of ozone that shields the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.

One of the images, from the VLA and Merlin telescopes, shows a bright spot on the side of the smaller galaxy where the jet has struck.

Dan Evans, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the study team, said: “We’ve seen many jets produced by black holes, but this is the first time we’ve seen one punch into another galaxy like we’re seeing here. “This jet could be causing all sorts of problems for the smaller galaxy it is pummelling.”

Martin Hardcastle, of the University of Hertfordshire, another member of the research team, said: “We see jets all over the Universe but we’re still struggling to understand some of their basic properties. This system of 3C321 gives us a chance to learn how they’re affected when they slam into something, like a galaxy, and what they do after that.”

Jets produced by supermassive black holes can transport vast amounts of energy, allowing the black hole to affect matter well beyond the normal influence of its gravity.

The 3C321 jet probably began bombarding the galaxy about a million years ago. It is not all bad news for the galaxy, as despite the initial destruction it has caused, the massive influx of energy and radiation it has brought should lead to the formation of new stars and planets.

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