It’s the fastest-growing black hole ever recorded. Quasar J0529-4351 eats the equivalent of the energy in our sun every single day. It is also roughly 17 billion times bigger than our sun. This ravenous star-gobbling hole is described in a study published February 19 in the journal Nature Astronomy and its size could help piece together the universe’s history.
[Related: Blindingly bright black holes could help cosmologists see deeper into the universe’s past.]
“The incredible rate of growth also means a huge release of light and heat,” study co-author and astronomer at The Australian National University (ANU) Christian Wolf said in a statement. “So, this is also the most luminous known object in the universe. It’s 500 trillion times brighter than our sun.”
What are quasars?
Quasars are galaxies with an active and energetic core that is powered by black holes. They typically offer astronomers a different view of black hole, showing energetic jets beaming out from two sides. A quasar’s dark center gobbles up the matter that is nearby and then smushes that material into an incredibly hot disc. This matter is then shot out over huge distances. However, it takes billions of years for their light to be visible on Earth. This means astronomers can view these black holes as they existed billions of years ago.
Quasars are still quite mysterious, but some more recent studies have found that quasars may shine consistently enough for astronomers to use them to fill in gaps in cosmic history. J0529-4351’s unprecedented brightness and size could help further this study of the universe’s early…
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