Quasars are the extremely luminous state that some supermassive black hole can achieve. If these enormous cosmic objects are undergoing a feeding frenzy, they start throwing some of the material out with such energy that they can outshine their host galaxies. Galaxy collision can provide the fuel to start a quasar and, on rare occasions, quasars periods will begin in the supermassive black holes of both colliding galaxies. Now, astronomers have snapped two pairs of quasars – and they are the closest double quasars ever seen in the distant universe.
The findings, reported in Nature Astronomy, suggest that the black holes in each pair are just several thousand light-years apart and that the galaxies are well underway their merger, getting close to being a single object. The light from the quasars has traveled for at least 10 billion years, with the furthest one coming from 11,5 billion years ago. That pair has a projected separation of 11,400 light-years.
Black hole pairs found in distant merging galaxies
eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hubble spots double quasars in merging galaxies
eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.