Astronomers have discovered the brightest object in the universe. Quasar J0529-4351 is 500 trillion times brighter than the Sun.

Astronomers have discovered the brightest object in the universe. Quasar J0529-4351 is 500 trillion times brighter than the Sun.

Astronomers have discovered the brightest object in the universe. Quasar J0529-4351 is 500 trillion times brighter than the Sun.

This record-breaking quasar consumes one solar equivalent per day. Astronomers used his VLT telescope at the European Southern Observatory to study this bright quasar and found that it was not only the brightest of its kind, but also the brightest object ever observed. It turned out to be.

A quasar is a galactic nucleus driven by a supermassive black hole. The black hole within this quasar is gaining mass by an amount equivalent to the mass of the Sun each day, making it the fastest growing black hole known. Astronomer Christian Wolff of the Australian National University said: “We have discovered the fastest growing black hole ever known. The black hole has a mass 17 billion times that of the sun, and “Eats” slightly more sun. This quasar, named J0529-4351, is so far from Earth that it took more than 12 billion years for its light to reach us. Its black hole radiates so much energy that quasar J0529-4351 is more than 500 trillion times brighter than the sun. This black hole’s accretion disk is the largest in the universe, measuring 7 light years in diameter. 7 light years is about 15,000 times the distance from the Sun to the orbit of Neptune. Christopher Onken, co-author of the study, said: “It is surprising that this quasar has remained unknown until now, given the large number of less impressive quasars already known.” are doing. Decades later, it was identified as a quasar. Finding quasars requires accurate observation data over a wide area of ​​the sky. However, this amount of data is so large that researchers often use machine learning models to analyze quasars and distinguish them from other astronomical objects. However, such models rely on existing data, so potential candidates are limited to objects that are similar to known objects. If a new quasar is brighter than all previous quasars, the program may mistake it for a nearby star. Data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite processed by automated systems also failed to recognize J0529-4351 as a quasar and misidentified it as a star. Just last year, astronomers identified it as a distant quasar based on observations with Australia’s ANU 2.3-meter telescope. But larger telescopes and more precise measurements were needed to confirm it was the brightest quasar. The X-Shooter spectrometer on his VLT at the European Southern Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert provided scientists with the final data. The fastest-growing black hole ever observed is the target of the European Southern Observatory’s VLT GRAVITY+ interferometer, which is designed to precisely measure the black hole’s mass. In addition, the 39-meter ELT telescope under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert will further facilitate the identification and further study of these rare objects.

source: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2402/