Astronomers have identified a quasar that is not only the brightest object in the universe but also contains the fastest growing black hole ever observed. This quasar outshines our Sun by about 500 trillion times and is powered by a black hole with a mass 17 billion times greater than that of our Sun. The light from this quasar has traveled for approximately 12 billion years to reach Earth, indicating its significant distance from us. This discovery raises questions about how such massive black holes could have formed so early in the universe’s history.
- A quasar, the brightest object in the universe, has been discovered, shining 500 trillion times brighter than the Sun.
- The quasar contains a black hole with a mass 17 billion times that of the Sun.
- Light from the quasar has taken 12 billion years to reach Earth, indicating its extreme distance.
- The black hole’s rapid growth and the quasar’s brightness are due to a massive disk of material spiraling into the black hole, heating up and emitting intense light.
- The existence of such large supermassive black holes early in the universe’s history is puzzling to scientists and suggests that mechanisms for black hole formation could have occurred shortly after the Big Bang.
- This discovery has implications for our understanding of black hole formation and the early universe.
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