{"id":26857,"date":"2024-06-18T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26857"},"modified":"2024-06-18T01:26:21","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T05:26:21","slug":"eso-galaxy-suddenly-brightened-by-massive-black-hole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26857","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Galaxy suddenly brightened by massive black hole"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Astronomers see a massive black hole awaken in real time<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
In late 2019, the galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before and was classified as having an active galactic nucleus, powered by a massive black hole in the galaxy\u2019s core. This is the first time the awakening of a massive black hole has been observed in real time. This artist\u2019s impression shows the growing disc of material being pulled in by the black hole as it feeds on the gas available in its surroundings, making the galaxy light up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In late 2019 the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before. To understand why, astronomers have used data from several space and ground-based observatories, including the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope (ESO\u2019s VLT), to track how the galaxy\u2019s brightness has varied. In a study out today, they conclude that they are witnessing changes never seen before in a galaxy \u2014 likely the result of the sudden awakening of the massive black hole at its core.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine you\u2019ve been observing a distant galaxy for years, and it always seemed calm and inactive,<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

says Paula S\u00e1nchez S\u00e1ez, an astronomer at ESO in Germany and lead author of the study accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuddenly, its [core] starts showing dramatic changes in brightness, unlike any typical events we’ve seen before.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This is what happened to SDSS1335+0728, which is now classified as having an \u2018active galactic nucleus\u2019 (AGN) \u2014 a bright compact region powered by a massive black hole \u2014 after it brightened dramatically in December 2019 [1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some phenomena, like supernova explosions or tidal disruption events \u2014 when a star gets too close to a black hole and is torn apart \u2014 can make galaxies suddenly light up. But these brightness variations typically last only a few dozen or, at most, a few hundreds of days. SDSS1335+0728 is still growing brighter today, more than four years after it was first seen to \u2018switch on\u2019. Moreover, the variations detected in the galaxy, which is located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, are unlike any seen before, pointing astronomers towards a different explanation.<\/p>\n