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Astronomers Detect Most Distant Black Hole Flare Ever Witnessed
Scientists have recently observed the most luminous flare ever recorded from a supermassive black hole, shining with the intensity of 10 trillion suns. This extraordinary event offers new insights into the enigmatic nature of black holes.
These powerful bursts of light and energy are believed to originate from phenomena such as tangled magnetic fields or disruptions within the superheated gas disks that encircle black holes. Such flares serve as crucial beacons, enhancing researchers’ understanding of these cosmic giants.
The recently observed flare emanated from a supermassive black hole situated an astonishing 10 billion light-years away, making it the most distant such event detected to date. This means the light from this flare began its journey when the universe was still in its infancy. For context, one light-year spans nearly 6 trillion miles.
This remarkable cosmic display was first captured in 2018 by a camera at the Palomar Observatory in California. It gradually reached its peak brightness over approximately three months and has been steadily dimming in the years since.
Researchers hypothesize that the flare likely occurred when a massive star ventured too close to the black hole and was subsequently torn apart by its immense gravitational forces.
“At first, we didn’t really believe the numbers about the energy,” stated Matthew Graham, a study author from the California Institute of Technology, which operates the Palomar Observatory.
These groundbreaking findings were published on Tuesday in the esteemed journal Nature Astronomy.
Nearly every large galaxy, including our own Milky Way, harbors a supermassive black hole at its core. The powerful gravitational pull of these black holes, surrounded by intense magnetic fields, is responsible for the characteristic spiral shape of galaxies.
The precise mechanisms behind the formation of supermassive black holes remain an active area of scientific inquiry.
Studying these colossal entities can significantly advance researchers’ comprehension of the stellar environments surrounding supermassive black holes. This discovery also empowers scientists “to probe the interaction of supermassive black holes with their environments early in the universe,” commented Joseph Michail of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was not involved in the new study. These early interactions were instrumental in shaping the cosmos we inhabit today.
The oldest black hole yet identified was discovered by scientists in March 2024. This supermassive black hole formed when our 13.8-billion-year-old universe was a mere 430 million years old. Located at the center of a distant galaxy, it is currently undergoing vigorous growth, according to researchers.
Another ancient supermassive black hole was uncovered by NASA researchers in 2023. That particular black hole formed approximately 13.2 billion years ago, predating the 2024 discovery by about 40 million years, and is estimated to be roughly 10 times larger than the Milky Way’s central black hole.
Conversely, the closest known supermassive black hole is situated approximately 1,600 light-years from Earth and possesses a mass roughly 10 times that of our sun.