Over the past five years, the galaxy's nucleus has gone from serene to surging with energetic swirls, suggesting the emergence of a gigantic black hole.
Five years ago, a galaxy 300 million light-years away got a lot brighter in telescopes, radiating ultraviolet, optical, and infrared light out into space. This year, the resurgent galaxy started emitting X-rays, indicating that its initial brightening was really just a warmup. For the two decades before 2019, the galaxy was the same level of faintness in the night sky.
The object only began emitting X-rays in February, indicating that the black hole is even more awake now than when it began to stir. “These giant monsters usually are sleeping and not directly visible,” said study co-author Claudio Ricci, from the Diego Portales University, in the same release. “In the case of SDSS1335+0728, we were able to observe the awakening of the massive black hole, suddenly started to feast on gas available in its surroundings, becoming very bright.
Black Hole Claudio Ricci Astronomy Paula Galaxies Technology Internet Paula Sánchez Sáez Gizmodo
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Astronomers use wobbly star stuff to measure a supermassive black hole’s spinLaura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and exploring how science influences daily life. Laura is a proud former resident of the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford comma.
Read more »
Astronomers Just Calculated The Spin Speed of a Supermassive Black HoleThe Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs
Read more »
Crowned | POPSUGARStories that center Black experiences, amplify Black voices, and celebrate Black joy.
Read more »
Astronomers witness birth of universe’s earliest galaxiesFor the first time, researchers have observed the birth of three of the universe's earliest galaxies, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope.
Read more »
Supermassive black hole in the very early universe confound researchersA quasar from just 760 million years after the Big Bang challenges theory about formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe.
Read more »
New Simulation Explains how Supermassive Black Holes Grew so QuicklySpace and astronomy news
Read more »