Unstoppable, Jumbo Black Hole of 300-Trillion-Suns-Bright Galaxy Growing Unusually Fast, NASA
A massive black hole powering a galaxy as bright as 300 trillion suns has scientists blinded by surprise.
NASA's WISE or Wide-field Infrared Survey found 20 extremely luminous infrared galaxies (ELIG) of which one is currently the brightest in the universe. Called WISE J224607.57-052635.0, it surprised researchers when they realized how huge the black hole powering the galaxy must be. The object was glimpsed at a time the universe was just about a tenth of its current age, as the galaxy is 12.5 billion light years away.
"We are looking at a very intense phase of galaxy evolution. This dazzling light may be from the main growth spurt of the galaxy's black hole," said Chao-Wei Tsai of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The existence of super massive black holes at the center of most galaxies is now accepted but researchers are yet to figure out how a galaxy as young as WISE J224607.57-052635.0 got so big. Among other theories, researchers are coming around to accepting that black holes may consume matter faster than known previously.
"Another way for a black hole to grow this big is for it to have gone on a sustained binge, consuming food faster than typically thought possible. This can happen if the black hole isn't spinning that fast," Tsai said.
Matter swirls around a black hole and gets superheated. Black holes also explode high energy ultraviolet rays and X-rays as they consume gas. The light is blocked by swirling dust which heats up and produces detectable infrared radiation.
