A team of researchers who observed an area of interest with the help of the Gemini North telescope has detected the most energetic jet that has been released by a quasar to date. The wind travels at a speed that is close to 13% of that of light and is strong enough to alter star formation across an entire galaxy.
The impressive space storm has remained undercover for more than fifteen years. An advanced computer model and data from the International Gemini Observatory played an essential role in the process. The source of the powerful wind is a quasar known in the scientific community as SDSS J135246.37+423923.5 and located at a distance of approximately sixty million years away from Earth.
Quasar emitted the most powerful jet that scientists have recorded to date
High-velocity outflows have been observed in the past in quasars, but they were mostly thin and accompanied by a small amount of mas. In this case, the outflow released by the quasar carries a significant amount of mater, which travels at high speeds. Surprisingly, the quasar has managed to power such a strong emission.
Besides the outflow released by SDSS J135246.37+423923.5, the research also focused on the quasar. The supermassive black hole that can be found in the middle is up to six billion times larger than the Sun and more than 2000 times heavier than the black hole located in the heart of the Milky Way.
While he mass and energetic output are spectacular, the discovery of the fascinating event was delayed until a combination of necessary techniques and data was available.
A quasar is a particular type of astrophysical object that can be found in the center of the galaxy. They consist of a supermassive black hole that is surrounded by a glowing disk of gas, with the disk being capable of generating a light that is so intense that it can outshine the other stars present in the galaxy.
