The most powerful black holes in the universe may finally have an explanation
-
Loading... - Radmila Cerovic
- 01 May 2023
- 67 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Quasars, the most extreme phenomena in the universe, are triggered when galactic collisions deliver gas to feeding black holes, new research suggests.
Scientists may have solved a 60-year-old mystery by discovering that quasars — energetic objects that are powered by ravenous supermassive black holes and can outshine trillions of stars combined — form when galaxies collide and merge. The findings indicate that the Milky Way could host a quasar of its own when it collides with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy several billion years from now.
Scientists have previously tracked quasars' bright, energetic emissions to regions at the hearts of galaxies that span roughly the width of the solar system — meaning quasars must come from incredibly compact objects. The leading theory suggests that quasars are supermassive black holes heating huge amounts of surrounding gas, thus releasing tremendous amounts of radiation before the material falls onto the black hole's surface.
Since their discovery six decades ago, quasars have puzzled scientists — mainly because it's unclear just how supermassive black holes can draw in enough raw material to fuel such powerful emissions. While supermassive black holes dwell at the centers of most galaxies, the gas needed to fuel quasars tends to orbit on the outskirts of galaxies. Thus, there must be some delivery service moving gas toward the hearts of galaxies. Read More…
