Tag

Quasar

All articles tagged with #quasar

Cosmic water reservoir: distant quasar harbors trillions of oceans
science2 days ago

Cosmic water reservoir: distant quasar harbors trillions of oceans

Astronomers report that the quasar APM 08279+5255, about 12 billion light-years away, contains roughly 140 trillion times the amount of water in Earth’s oceans, making it the largest known reservoir of water in the cosmos. Water was detected through multiple emission lines, aided by gravitational lensing that magnifies the source. The finding shows water is pervasive even in the early universe and helps illuminate how black holes grow and galaxies form, with lensing suggesting there may be more such water-rich systems hiding in existing catalogs.

Ancient quasar defies growth rules by 13× the cosmic limit
space6 days ago

Ancient quasar defies growth rules by 13× the cosmic limit

Astronomers studying the distant quasar ID830 find a supermassive black hole actively accreting at about 13 times the Eddington limit, powering gigantic radio jets and a bright X-ray corona. The extreme, short-lived super-Eddington phase challenges standard black hole growth models and supports the idea that early-universe SMBHs grew rapidly, shaping their host galaxies through intense outflows and radiation.

Black Hole Growth Surpasses Scientific Limits, Defying Physics
science4 months ago

Black Hole Growth Surpasses Scientific Limits, Defying Physics

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered a distant quasar with a black hole growing faster than the Eddington limit, shedding light on how supermassive black holes formed early in the universe. The black hole, about a billion times the Sun's mass, is accreting material at a rate 2.4 times the typical maximum, which may explain the rapid emergence of massive black holes shortly after the Big Bang.

Scientists Reveal Smaller Sizes for Supermassive Black Holes
science5 months ago

Scientists Reveal Smaller Sizes for Supermassive Black Holes

A study of a distant galaxy suggests supermassive black holes may be smaller than previously thought, challenging existing models of cosmic growth. The black hole at the core of a galaxy over 12 billion light years away is estimated to be about one billion suns, much less than earlier assumptions, due to intense radiation blowing gas away and limiting its growth.

Massive Black Hole Jets Reveal Early Universe's Cosmic Power
science8 months ago

Massive Black Hole Jets Reveal Early Universe's Cosmic Power

Astronomers captured an image of a supermassive black hole's jet from 11.6 billion light-years away, illuminated by the Big Bang's afterglow, revealing the jet's immense size and speed. The observation was made possible by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which faces potential decommissioning due to funding issues, risking a significant loss in high-energy astrophysics research.

Black Hole Jets Shine Bright During Cosmic Noon
science8 months ago

Black Hole Jets Shine Bright During Cosmic Noon

Astronomers have observed an enormous jet from a supermassive black hole in a distant quasar, J1601+3102, less than 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. The jet spans 215,000 light-years, making it the largest of its kind seen in the early Universe, and challenges assumptions about the relationship between black hole size and jet power. Multiple telescopes were used to study this phenomenon, providing insights into black hole growth and galaxy evolution. The black hole itself is relatively modest in mass, suggesting powerful jets can form without extremely massive black holes.