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Scientists have identified the most distant radio wavelength source known to date. With the help of the very large telescope at the European Southern Observatory (its current name), astronomers were able to study the shining space object known as the quasar.
Space.com defines quasars as “distant objects fed by black holes a billion times more massive than our sun”. According to the National Observatory of Japan, only about 10% of quasars emit strong radio waves, like the recently discovered P172 + 18.
In a press release, ESO said the bright cosmic object had traveled for about 13 billion years before reaching Earth. He added that P172 + 18 “consumes gas at a stunning rate”.
“The black hole is consuming matter very quickly, increasing in mass at one of the highest rates ever seen,” said ESO astronomer Chiara Mazzucchelli. “I find it very exciting to discover ‘new’ black holes for the first time, and to provide an additional cornerstone for understanding the early Universe, where we came from, and ultimately ourselves,” she said. added.
The radio-strong quasar can provide astronomers with insight into how black holes may have grown so quickly after the Big Bang. Additionally, the team that discovered the P172 + 18 believe it could be the first in a long series.
“This discovery makes me optimistic and I believe – and I hope – that the distance record will soon be broken,” said Eduardo Bañados of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, who helped lead the discovery with Mazzucchelli. .
Elsewhere in space, a giant asteroid named Apophis “flew over” Earth last week, millions of kilometers safely.
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