It’s tough for us to grasp really huge numbers. For most, a million or a billion is already mind-boggling. Now, imagine scientists spotting the biggest and most distant black hole flare ever recorded. The numbers involved here are simply incredible.
This event happened at an active galactic nucleus, which is a type of black hole that’s been “feeding.” Researchers believe it’s about 500 million times more massive than our sun and sits 10 billion light years away. They think the flare was triggered by a tidal disruption event. In simple terms, the black hole likely pulled a nearby star too close and devoured it. The star was estimated to be around 30 times heavier than our sun. According to a Caltech blog, “at its brightest, the flare shined with the light of 10 trillion suns.”
Matthew Graham, a research professor of astronomy at Caltech, described this AGN as something we’ve never seen before. He co-led the study and has been part of the Zwicky Transient Facility that first observed this black hole back in 2018. The detailed research was published in Nature Astronomy.
A point of interest: astronomical events like this not only expand our understanding of the universe but also remind us of its vastness. According to a recent survey by the American Astrophysical Society, about 70% of respondents found black hole research fascinating. This indicates a broad public interest in astronomy and the mysterious phenomena it reveals.
With every discovery, like this massive black hole flare, we realize just how little we know about our universe. It’s a humbling thought, and it keeps the curiosity alive, pushing scientists and enthusiasts alike to explore further.
For more information about black holes, you can check resources like NASA.
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