Gamma ray flare. This visualization shows gamma rays detected during a big flare from the optically violent variable quasar 3C 279, one of the brightest gamma ray objects in the sky. A quasar is a region in the centre of a massive galaxy surrounding a central supermassive black hole. It emits considerable electromagnetic energy. Gamma rays are represented here as expanding circles with the maximum size of the circle and its colour represent the energy of the gamma ray, with white lowest and magenta highest. These data were detected by the LAT (Large Area Telescope) instrument on NASA's Fermi satellite between June 14 and June 17, 2015.