A recent discovery made possible by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has left astronomers stunned. A team of researchers led by Olivia Achenbach from the United States Naval Academy found a quasar-hosting galaxy with spiral arms and a supermassive black hole that is more than 400 million times the mass of our sun.
The unusual quasar, J0742+2704, was initially thought to be an older galaxy that had grown massive after merging with another galaxy. However, Achenbach’s team found that it has retained its spiral shape, which is extremely rare. The discovery suggests that there may be alternative pathways for jet formation in these galaxies.
The quasar’s unique properties have sparked debate among astronomers about what triggers the formation of jets. Some believe that major galaxy mergers are responsible, while others propose that spiral galaxies like J0742+2704 could be the key to understanding this phenomenon.
Further analysis using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ALMA in Chile is needed to confirm these findings. Achenbach emphasizes that this discovery is just the beginning of a new era of exploration and encourages researchers to keep searching for remarkable objects in the universe.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-reveals-surprising-spiral-shape-of-galaxy-hosting-young-jet