Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Quasar sends energy blast 2 trillion times more powerful than Sun
Posted on November 29, 2012
November 29, 2012 – SPACE – Scientists
have reported the largest blast of energy ever recorded from a far-off
quasar, some two trillion times more energetic than the sun. The
discovery may explain confusing discrepancies between the observed and
predicted masses of black holes. Quasars are extremely bright galaxy
cores, at the center of which sits a black hole. Their light is
generated when material is sucked into that black hole, creating large
amounts of energy. But quasars are also capable of emitting that energy
back out, away from the black hole, and one of those emissions is what
the researchers, led by Nahum Arav of Virginia Tech, observed. The team
used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, located
in Paranal, Chile. Energy outflows from quasars on the scale of what
Arav’s team observed have been predicted for some time by theorists, but
have never been recorded by researchers. The existence of such
emissions may answer a question that has intrigued astrophysicists for
some time. While theoretical models of the universe tend to approximate
what researchers observe, one major difference has persevered:
Theoretical models tend to overestimate the mass of black holes relative
to the rest of the galaxy. If quasars are ejecting energy at the rate
observed by Arav’s team, which could explain where that mass goes. But
the theory rests on the notion that such emissions are fairly common,
and the team’s discovery is the first such emission researchers have
observed. As a result, Arav and his team now want to find more powerful
quasar emissions to cement the idea. –LA Times
Thanks to: http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com
Posted on November 29, 2012
November 29, 2012 – SPACE – Scientists
have reported the largest blast of energy ever recorded from a far-off
quasar, some two trillion times more energetic than the sun. The
discovery may explain confusing discrepancies between the observed and
predicted masses of black holes. Quasars are extremely bright galaxy
cores, at the center of which sits a black hole. Their light is
generated when material is sucked into that black hole, creating large
amounts of energy. But quasars are also capable of emitting that energy
back out, away from the black hole, and one of those emissions is what
the researchers, led by Nahum Arav of Virginia Tech, observed. The team
used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, located
in Paranal, Chile. Energy outflows from quasars on the scale of what
Arav’s team observed have been predicted for some time by theorists, but
have never been recorded by researchers. The existence of such
emissions may answer a question that has intrigued astrophysicists for
some time. While theoretical models of the universe tend to approximate
what researchers observe, one major difference has persevered:
Theoretical models tend to overestimate the mass of black holes relative
to the rest of the galaxy. If quasars are ejecting energy at the rate
observed by Arav’s team, which could explain where that mass goes. But
the theory rests on the notion that such emissions are fairly common,
and the team’s discovery is the first such emission researchers have
observed. As a result, Arav and his team now want to find more powerful
quasar emissions to cement the idea. –LA Times
Thanks to: http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com
