Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole, named J0410-0139, 12.9 billion light-years away from Earth. This “blazar” is emitting a powerful beam of energy that has traveled over 100 million years to reach us, setting a new record for the distance observed from such an event.
The massive black hole has a mass of approximately 700 million Suns and is one of the oldest of its kind ever detected. Scientists used data from NASA’s Chandra Observatory and Chile’s Very Large Telescope to study this phenomenon. The alignment of J0410-0139’s jet with our line of sight provides a unique opportunity to observe the interplay between jets, black holes, and their environments during one of the Universe’s most transformative epochs.
According to Dr. Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer associated with the study, “The alignment allows us to peer directly into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse.” This discovery raises questions about how supermassive black holes grow rapidly in the Universe’s infancy and provides a new laboratory for studying these phenomena.
Blazars are powerful jet-emitting systems created by supermassive black holes. When one of these jets points towards Earth, it is referred to as a blazar. The jets can extend millions of light-years in length and emit extreme brightness due to particles approaching the speed of light. Despite decades of study, scientists still do not fully understand the physical processes that shape blazar dynamics and emission.
Only about 3,000 blazars have been discovered so far, but most are located closer to Earth than J0410-0139. The discovery of this supermassive black hole marks a significant milestone in our understanding of these enigmatic objects and their role in the Universe’s evolution.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/science/powerful-beam-from-ancient-black-hole-12-9-billion-light-years-away-targets-earth-7488553