Stunning Discovery: Astronomers Unveil Ultrapowerful Black Hole Jet Radiating with the Brilliance of 10 Trillion Suns, Illuminated by the Big Bang’s Afterglow

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery: powerful X-ray jets are shooting from two supermassive black holes. These jets are so ancient they glow with the afterglow of the Big Bang!

Jaya Maithil, a research fellow at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, described these jets as transforming the universe’s first light into high-energy jets. Her team gathered data from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). They found that each jet stretches an incredible 300,000 light-years, nearly three times wider than our Milky Way galaxy.

These jets are linked to quasars, which are supermassive black holes actively consuming material. The quasars studied are located about 11.6 billion and 11.7 billion light-years from Earth, providing a glimpse into the universe when it was just 3 billion years old—a time when galaxies and their black holes were rapidly growing.

Maithil referred to these quasars as cosmic time capsules. Understanding them helps us see how they influenced their galaxies and surroundings. One of the jets, from quasar J1610+1811, can be seen in a Chandra image. A thin purple line extends from its bright core, leading to a small, bright area. A second, dimmer jet is visible in the opposite direction.

She explained, “It’s like looking for candlelight next to a flashlight that’s blazing toward us.” What’s fascinating about these jets is their visibility across vast distances. In a recent paper published in *The Astrophysical Journal*, Maithil and her team suggested that the jets shine in X-rays because they interact with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation from the Big Bang. This interaction boosts low-energy photons from the CMB into the X-ray range we can detect.

When these jets formed, the CMB was much denser than today. As electrons in the jets sped outward, they collided with CMB photons, which amplified their brightness in X-ray wavelengths. This unique process ensures that we can see these jets despite their proximity to the quasars’ glowing centers.

One jet from J1610+1811 carries 92% to 98% of light energy, equaling the output of about 10 trillion suns. The other quasar, J1405+0415, also has a powerful jet with particles traveling at 95% to 99% the speed of light. This finding shows that some black holes may have a far greater impact on their surroundings than previously understood.

In recent discussions on social media, many have expressed fascination with these cosmic jets, marveling at the idea of light travelling billions of years to reach us. This discovery gives us not only a peek into the distant past but also helps us understand the mysteries of black holes and the early universe.

For more information, articles like this one from NASA provide detailed explorations into cosmic phenomena and their significance. The study helps bridge our understanding of the universe, connecting ancient mysteries with modern science.

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