AstronomyDo galaxy collisions power quasars? And will our Milky...

Do galaxy collisions power quasars? And will our Milky Way become a quasar?

-

- Advertisment -


'; } else { echo "Sorry! You are Blocked from seeing the Ads"; } ?>
Artist’s idea of quasar P172+18. Astronomers at College of Sheffield say that galaxy collisions energy quasars. Picture by way of ESO/ M Kornmesser.

Do galaxy collisions energy quasars?

Astronomers on the College of Sheffield within the UK said this morning (April 26, 2023) they’ve new observations in hand, proving that colliding galaxies energy quasars.

Quasars are essentially the most highly effective objects within the universe. They’re thought to shine as brightly as a trillion stars, but are packed right into a space as small as our solar system. And what might generate a lot vitality in so small a space? The most well-liked fashions characteristic galaxies within the means of formation, and supermassive black holes on the quasars’ hearts.

The brand new work suggests colliding galaxies as the reason for quasars’ magnificent energy. And it means that our residence galaxy – the Milky Way – will grow to be a quasar when it collides with the nearby Andromeda galaxy, billions of years from now.

New observations of 48 galaxies

The Sheffield astronomers mentioned they used deep imaging observations from the Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma, an island within the Canary Islands. They noticed 48 galaxies that host quasars – and in contrast them to 100 galaxies with out quasars – to be taught that galaxy collisions ignite the quasars. They noticed:

… the presence of distorted constructions within the outer areas of the galaxies which can be residence to quasars.

They usually defined:

When two galaxies collide, gravitational forces push big quantities of gasoline in direction of supermassive black holes on the middle of the remnant galaxy system that outcomes from the collision … simply earlier than the gasoline is consumed by the black hole, it releases extraordinary quantities of vitality within the type of radiation, leading to a quasar.

Including:

The Milky Way is prone to expertise its personal quasar when it collides with the Andromeda galaxy in roughly 5 billion years’ time.

Right here’s the way it works

The astronomers’ statement defined:

Most galaxies have supermassive black holes at their facilities. In addition they include substantial quantities of gasoline. However more often than not this gasoline is orbiting at massive distances from the galaxy facilities, out of attain of the black holes.

Collisions between galaxies drive the gasoline in direction of the black hole on the galaxy centre; simply earlier than the gasoline is consumed by the black hole, it releases extraordinary quantities of vitality within the type of radiation, ensuing within the attribute quasar brilliance.

The ignition of a quasar can have dramatic penalties for whole galaxies. It could possibly drive the remainder of the gasoline out of the galaxy, which prevents it from forming new stars for billions of years into the longer term.

That is the primary time {that a} pattern of quasars of this dimension has been imaged with this stage of sensitivity …

And that extra sensitivity should be what’s creating confidence in these researchers that they’ve “solved” the thriller of quasars. Their assertion mentioned:

By evaluating observations of 48 quasars and their host galaxies with photographs of over 100 non-quasar galaxies, researchers concluded that galaxies internet hosting quasars are roughly 3 times as prone to be interacting or colliding with different galaxies.

The research has supplied a big step ahead in our understanding of how these highly effective objects are triggered and fuelled.

The Sheffield astronomers are excited

Astrophysicist Clive Tadhunter of the College of Sheffield mentioned:

Quasars are one of the vital excessive phenomena within the universe. And what we see is prone to signify the way forward for our personal Milky Way galaxy when it collides with the Andromeda galaxy in about 5 billion years.

It’s thrilling to watch these occasions and at last perceive why they happen. However fortunately Earth received’t be wherever close to one in all these apocalyptic episodes for fairly a while.

The researchers additionally identified that quasars are necessary to astrophysicists as a result of, on account of their brightness, they stand out at massive distances and due to this fact act as “beacons” to the earliest epochs within the historical past of the universe. Jonny Pierce on the College of Hertfordshire defined:

It’s an space that scientists world wide are eager to be taught extra about. One of many essential scientific motivations for NASA’s James Webb House Telescope was to review the earliest galaxies within the universe. And Webb is able to detecting gentle from even essentially the most distant quasars, emitted almost 13 billion years in the past.

Quasars play a key position in our understanding of the historical past of the universe … and presumably additionally the way forward for the Milky Way.

Backside line: Do galaxy collisions energy quasars? UK astronomers have proof suggesting they do. If that’s the case, then our personal Milky Way galaxy may sometime grow to be a quasar.

Via University of Sheffield



Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

See 6 planets in late August and early September

See 6 planets earlier than dawn Possibly you’ve already seen Jupiter and Mars within the morning sky? They’re simply...

Voyager 2: Our 1st and last visit to Neptune

Reprinted from NASA. Voyager 2 passes by Neptune, 35 years in the past Thirty-five years in the past, on August...

Polaris, the North Star, has spots on its surface

Polaris, the North Star, was the topic of observations by the CHARA Array in California. Polaris is a variable...
- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

Understanding extreme weather with Davide Faranda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtLAk8z0ngBe part of us LIVE at 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) Monday, August 26, 2024, for a YouTube...

Must read

- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you