In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers at the Australian National University (ANU) have stumbled upon what could potentially be the brightest object in the entire universe – a black hole voraciously consuming the equivalent of a sun every single day.
Published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the study reveals that this colossal black hole, boasting a mass approximately 17 billion times that of our sun, has achieved a record that might stand unbeaten. Radiating a luminosity 500 trillion times greater than our sun, it has set an astronomical benchmark.
Lead author of the study, Christian Wolf, an Associate Professor at ANU, emphasized the extraordinary rate of growth, resulting in an immense release of light and heat. “So, this is also the most luminous known object in the universe. It is 500 trillion times brighter than our sun,” Wolf stated.
Initially discovered using a 2.3-meter telescope at ANU’s Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran in New South Wales, the black hole’s existence was later confirmed with the European Southern Observatory’s very large telescope.
A black hole is a cosmic region where gravity is so overpowering that nothing, not even light, can escape its grasp. The revelation of this particular black hole, despite the knowledge about numerous other, less remarkable ones, caught scientists by surprise, as noted by Christopher Onken, co-author of the study.
Situated 12 billion light years away, this quasar has been present since the early stages of the universe, offering a glimpse into the cosmos’ infancy. To put it in perspective, a light-year equals 5.8 trillion miles.
Astronomers also shared insights into the intense radiation emanating from the accretion disc – a rapidly rotating gas formation – surrounding the black hole. This disc serves as a holding pattern for all materials awaiting consumption.
Describing the spectacle, Wolf painted a vivid picture, stating, “It looks like a gigantic and magnetic storm cell with temperatures of 10,000 degrees Celsius, lightning everywhere, and winds blowing so fast they would go around Earth in a second. This storm cell is seven light-years across, which is 50 per cent more than the distance from our solar system to the next star in the Galaxy, alpha Centauri.”
