Astronomers discover supermassive black-hole projecting ‘energy beams’ at Earth
Astronomers have identified the most ancient blazar ever seen in space. A supermassive black hole in the universe that shoots an energy beam towards Earth. This cosmic powerhouse has a mass 60 billion times that of the Sun, according to a study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, titled “Properties and far-infrared variability of a z = 7 blazar.”
What is a blazar?
Blazars are rare galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centers. These black holes emit jets of radiation that align with Earth, making them among the brightest objects in the universe. These black holes have very large magnetic fields around them, which shape the jets. They can extend far beyond their galaxies.
Recently discovered blazar J0410-0139
The recently discovered blazar in space is named J0410-0139, which is located about 12.9 billion light years away from Earth. Its high energy beam of radiation has traveled for about 13 billion years to reach us, which is just 800 million years after the Big Bang. This makes it the most distant blazar ever discovered, 100 million years ahead of the previous record holder.
Blazar allows astronomers to peek into the heart of the cosmic powerhouse
The discovery of blazar J0410-0139 gives scientists a unique opportunity to explore the early universe. “The jet of J0410-0139 happens to line up with our line of sight, allowing astronomers to peer into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse,” said Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Virginia.
The researchers combined data from telescopes in orbit, including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Magellan Telescopes, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, as well as NASA’s Chandra Observatory. This helps reveal how early supermassive black holes formed and how they evolved further.
