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Astronomers have discovered the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO VLT) and have studied in detail the most distant radio source known to date. The source is nothing more than a radio-sounding quasar, an extremely distant and bright formation that emits jets, or jets, that radiate strongly in the radio range. The light from this quasar traveled for 13 billion years until it reached us. The discovery could help astronomers better understand the early universe.
Quasars are extremely bright objects operating at the center of distant galaxies, whose source of energy is a supermassive black hole. As the black hole absorbs the surrounding gas, such an enormous amount of energy is released that astronomers can even detect it from the other side of the foreseeable universe.
The now-discovered quasar, cataloged as P172 + 18, is so far from us that its light traveled for about 13 billion years before reaching us.
So we can see this celestial body in the state it was in when the universe was 780 million years old.
Although we know of the most distant quasars, this is the most distant, whose radiation also reveals radio signals. P172 + 18 is therefore the first known radio vessel in the history of the universe. Only 10% of quasars belong to this class, called astronomers by astronomers. They emit bright material in the radio wave range.
P172 + 18 is powered by a black hole of approximately 300 million solar masses, which consumes the surrounding gas at a staggering rate. The quasar absorbs matter at an extraordinary rate. It is one of the fastest growing objects of this type ever observed. “ – highlights Chiara Mazzucchelli, Chilean astronomer from ESO, who co-directed the P172 + 18 studies with Eduardo Bañados, member of the German Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie.
Astronomers believe there is a link between the rapid mass gain of superheavy black holes and powerful radio signals similar to those seen with the P172 + 18 quasar. The jets can disturb the gas flowing around the black hole, increasing the speed at which the material falls.
Studying radio vessels can help astronomers understand how black holes in the early universe may have become supermasses in such a short time after the Big Bang.
“I find it very exciting to be the first to discover a ‘new’ black hole, adding another piece of mosaic to understanding the early universe to find out where we came from and eventually get to know ourselves better,” enthuses Mazzucchelli.
Having previously been identified as a radio source, Bañados and Mazzucchelli recognized the quasar P172 + 18 with Magellan Binoculars at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. “As soon as we got the data, we looked at it and knew immediately that we had discovered the most distant radio-sounding quasar known to date,” adds Bañados.
However, due to the more modest amount of data resulting from the telescope’s limited time, the team was still unable to examine the formation in depth. But the discovery was soon followed by a flood of data from more binoculars. Observations were also made with the ESO VLT X-shooter telescope, which allowed for a much more precise characterization of the quasar, including measurements of the mass and material absorption rate of the central black hole. The observations were also made using the US National Radio Institute’s Very Large Array radio telescope network and the Keck telescope in the Hawaiian Islands.
While astronomers are excited about the discovery that will be published in The Astrophysical Journal these days, they also know that this first discovery, still unique today, will surely be followed by the discovery of quite a few similar radio-sounding quasars. This discovery makes me optimistic and I believe, I hope, that the distance record will soon be broken. “ Bathed closes his thoughts.
Astronomical instruments like the ALMA radio telescope network in partnership with ESO and ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is already under construction, can help you discover and study more interesting formations in the early universe.
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