In the depths of space, a mysterious object has been discovered that radiates like hundreds of millions of Suns. Researchers have found that this bright object is not just any star, but rather a gigantic black hole. The black hole, named quasar J0529-4351, is growing at an incredible rate and is the brightest object observed so far.
The black hole is located in the distant galaxy UGC 19818 and was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronomer Christian Wolf from the Australian National University (ANU) explains that quasars are caused by matter accretion discs around black holes and emit radiation that is hundreds of trillions of times brighter than the Sun’s radiation. This discovery sheds light on the complex phenomena occurring in the universe.
According to Peter Johansson from the University of Helsinki, quasar J0529-4351 is point-like and “quasi-stellar.” The radiation emitted by this giant comes from gas moving at high speeds in the strong gravitational field created by the massive black hole. The diameter of the hot disk of matter orbiting the hole is about seven light years wide.
The quasar J0529-4351 is incredibly distant, with observed radiation originating over 12 billion years ago. Due to the expanding universe, measuring distances accurately is challenging, but it’s estimated that light started moving when the universe was around 1.8 billion years old. This discovery sheds light on how galaxies form and evolve over time.
Overall, this discovery highlights how much there is still to learn about our universe and how important continued exploration and research are for understanding its complexities and mysteries.
