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Record-Breaking Quasar Discovered, Sheds Light on Galaxy Formation

Astronomers have identified the fastest-growing black hole in a quasar, offering new insights into the early universe and galaxy evolution.

This artist’s impression shows the record-breaking quasar J059-4351, the bright core of a distant galaxy that is powered by a supermassive black hole. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, this quasar has been found to be the most luminous object known in the Universe to date. The supermassive black hole, seen here pulling in surrounding matter, has a mass 17 billion times that of the Sun and is growing in mass by the equivalent of another Sun per day, making it the fastest-growing black hole ever known.
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An image of the quasar's location was created using data from the Digitized Sky Survey 2, while the inset was provided by the Dark Energy Survey.
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Overview

  • A Colombian researcher is analyzing signals from quasi-stellar objects to understand their role in galaxy formation.
  • The brightest known object in the universe, a quasar powered by a supermassive black hole, was recently discovered.
  • This quasar's black hole is growing at a rate of one sun per day, making it the fastest-growing black hole known.
  • Studies of these objects could answer key questions about how galaxies formed and evolved after the Big Bang.
  • The discovery emphasizes the importance of diverse voices in science and the potential for new findings with future observatories.