Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, potentially identifying the most luminous entity in existence, a quasar housing a black hole at its core that is consuming matter at an extraordinary rate, equivalent to devouring a sun each day.
Described as “the brightest object in the universe,” this remarkable quasar shines an astonishing 500 trillion times brighter than our own sun. The black hole fueling this celestial phenomenon is a colossal 17 billion times more massive than our sun, as detailed by an Australian-led research team in a recent publication in Nature Astronomy.
Though appearing as a mere speck in visual representations, scientists conceptualize this quasar as an intensely turbulent environment. The encircling disk around the black hole, comprised of luminous swirling gases and remnants of engulfed stars, resembles a cosmic tempest.
Lead author Christian Wolf from the Australian National University characterizes this quasar as “the most violent place that we know in the universe,” underscoring the extreme nature of this cosmic entity.
Initially discovered as part of a 1980 sky survey by the European Southern Observatory and cataloged as J0529-4351, this object was initially mistaken for a star. It wasn’t until recently that it was correctly identified as a quasar, thanks to observations from telescopes in Australia and Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Commenting on this revelation, Yale University’s Priyamvada Natarajan noted, “The exciting thing about this quasar is that it was hiding in plain sight and was misclassified as a star previously,” highlighting the significance of this reclassification.
Further scrutiny and computational simulations have revealed the quasar’s voracious appetite, estimated to consume the mass equivalent of 370 suns annually, roughly one sun per day. The black hole’s mass has been calculated to range between 17 to 19 billion solar masses, although additional observations are warranted to ascertain its growth rate accurately.
Situated approximately 12 billion light-years away, this quasar has existed since the early epochs of the universe. To put this vast distance into perspective, a light-year spans a staggering 5.8 trillion miles.
The discovery of this exceptionally luminous quasar, powered by a supermassive black hole,provides valuable insights into the cosmic phenomena occurring in the universe’s distant reaches. Through meticulous observation and analysis, astronomers continue to unravel the mysteries of these awe-inspiring celestial objects, shedding light on the fundamental processes shaping our cosmos.