ANI
01 Jul 2020, 22:13 GMT+10
CANBERRA, Australia - We now know just how massive the fastest-growing black hole in the universe actually is, as well as how much it eats, thanks to new research led by the Australian National University (ANU).
It is 34 billion times the mass of our Sun and gorges on nearly the equivalent of one Sun every day, according to Dr. Christopher Onken and his colleagues.
"The black hole's mass is also about 8,000 times bigger than the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way. If the Milky Way's black hole wanted to grow that fat, it would have to swallow two thirds of all the stars in our galaxy," Dr. Onken said.
This giant black hole -- known as J2157 -- was discovered by the same research team in 2018.
"We're seeing it at a time when the universe was only 1.2 billion years old, less than 10 percent of its current age. It's the biggest black hole that's been weighed in this early period of the universe," Dr. Onken said.
Exactly how black holes grew so big so early in the life-span of the universe is still a mystery, but the team is now searching for more black holes in the hope they might provide some clues.
"We knew we were onto a very massive black hole when we realised its fast growth rate," said team member Dr. Fuyan Bian, a staff astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
"How much black holes can swallow depends on how much mass they already have. So, for this one to be devouring matter at such a high rate, we thought it could become a new record holder. And now we know," Dr. Fuyan Bian added.
The team, including researchers from the University of Arizona, used ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile to accurately measure the black hole's mass.
"With such an enormous black hole, we're also excited to see what we can learn about the galaxy in which it's growing," Dr. Onken said.
Dr. Onken said added, "is this galaxy one of the behemoths of the early universe, or did the black hole just swallow up an extraordinary amount of its surroundings? We'll have to keep digging to figure that out." (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Phoenix Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Phoenix Herald.
More InformationOn Friday, January 22, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) became international law for the 122 ...
Since September, the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened, infecting close to 100 million people, costing more than ...
The Russian vessel tapped to finish the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has begun work in Danish waters just ...
President Joe Biden has issued an executive order that overturns a ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military.In ...
NEW DELHI, India - India and China have agreed to push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops in ...
PanARMENIAN.Net - There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were mixed on Wednesday.Japan's Nikkei 225 eked out a small gain despite concerns ...
New Delhi [India], January 27 (ANI/Big News Network): India will reclaim the status of the world's fastest-growing economy, and will ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were out of favour on Tuesday with the main indices drifting lower.At the ...
NEW DELHI, India - After clashes between protestors and police in several parts of Delhi, farmers on Tuesday, the Samyukta ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia lost ground on Tuesday.The Australian market missed the damage as markets were closed ...
WASHINGTON, DC, January 26 (ANI) - The U.S. Senate has confirmed Janet Yellen to be the next Secretary of the ...