In the vast expanse of the cosmos, where galaxies swirl and stars ignite, astronomers have discovered an object so luminous, so powerful, that it redefines our understanding of the universe’s extremes. This object, named J0529-4351, isn’t a star or a galaxy, but a quasar powered by a supermassive black hole. This newly discovered object is not only the brightest object in the universe but also the fastest growing black hole in the universe.
Located approximately 12 billion light-years away, J0529-4351 is a behemoth with a mass 15 to 20 billion times that of our sun. Its brightness is an astounding 500 trillion times that of the sun. The incredible luminosity comes from a disc of matter swirling around the black hole, known as an accretion disc. This disc is heated by the friction of the material rubbing together, creating a tremendous glow that outshines thousands of galaxies.
This accretion disc is a chaotic and hostile environment. It is made of stars and gas clouds that have been pulled out of stable orbits and dragged towards the black hole. The matter in the disc is in a constant state of turmoil, with clouds of gas moving at speeds up to 100,000 kilometers per second, creating temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees Celsius. The disc spans seven light-years across, which is one and a half times the distance from the Sun to its nearest star, Alpha Centauri. This vast disc is ultimately a holding pattern for material before it is devoured by the black hole.
The black hole at the heart of J0529-4351 is not a static object but a gluttonous consumer, devouring the equivalent of one sun per day. The energy produced by this feeding frenzy is what makes it so incredibly bright. However, despite its immense power, this black hole poses no threat to us. The light we see from J0529-4351 has traveled for over 12 billion years to reach us, meaning that this object would have stopped growing long ago. In fact, supermassive black holes in the nearby universe are mostly sleeping giants, the age of the feeding frenzy is over because most of the gas in galaxies has been turned into stars.
The discovery of J0529-4351 was made by Australian scientists using a 2.3-meter telescope, with confirmation using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. This detection was achieved using old fashioned search methods of new data that covered the entire sky. Initially, it was classified as a star because from our perspective, it appears as a single point of light. It’s important to note that this discovery is of a rare outlier since most of the million or so black holes that have been detected so far have been found by machine learning.
J0529-4351 is located in its own galaxy, which is probably close to the size of the Milky Way. This discovery not only provides new insight into the universe, it also demonstrates the extreme processes of these powerful objects that shape galaxies. This object could be considered the most hellish place in the universe with its high temperatures and fast moving matter.
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