Astronomers have made an incredible discovery of two active quasars in the early universe in a single galaxy. The two quasars - or supermassive black holes - are located a mere 10,000 light-years apart and are on a collision course for each other.
Uncovering an Ancient Binary Quasar in the Early Universe
Dubbed J0749+2255, the discovery of this imminent cosmic clash has implications that can help scientists better understand the evolution of supermassive black holes in the universe.
According to the story by Science Alert, while galaxy mergers are common, spotting binary quasars in the early universe is highly unlikely - particularly when they're this close together.
A Look into a Primordial Universe - The Discovery of J0749+2255
The discovery of the double quasar galaxy J0749+2255 is a significant step forward in understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes.
It is captured in a rare snapshot just 3 billion years after the Big Bang, it contains two actively feeding supermassive black holes on a collision course, separated by a mere 10,000 light-years.
Uncovering the Secrets of Supermassive Black Hole Growth
Using observations from ground- and space-based telescopes, scientists have determined that the two black holes will likely evolve into a gravitationally bound tight binary in about 220 million years and eventually merge into an even more massive black hole.
This could potentially help scientists answer the vexing puzzle of how supermassive black holes grow to such tremendous sizes. The two black holes within J0749+2255 are clocking in at around 1.26 and 1.58 billion solar masses, respectively, helping to shed light on the rate of binary supermassive black holes in the early Universe.
A Rarer Sight: The Hunt for Double Quasar Galaxies
But to truly understand their evolution, researchers must observe more double-quasar galaxies. Single quasars are quite common in the early universe due to galaxies merging.
However, twin quasars are much rarer, being much more difficult to spot, as the space between the two black holes is usually too small for our current instruments to see. J0749+2255 was only discovered due to a faint variation in the light from the galaxy detected by the Gaia telescope.
A New Method to More Easily Identify Early Universe Double Quasar Galaxies
The difficulty of distinguishing these double quasars is likely linked to their combined radiative power being similar to that of a single one. In addition, the two quasars can be similarly redshifted, making them barely separable, if not the same object.
However, researchers have now uncovered a method to identify them more easily, which they hope to use to seek out more early universe double quasar galaxies. The study can be seen in detail on Nature, where it was published.
Read Also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Spots 'Teeny Tiny Galaxy' With Massive Star Power!
Discovering the Origins of Supermassive Black Holes with J0749+2255
Astronomer Xin Liu of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shared what they spotted. They said that the findings were only the tip of the iceberg.
The study of J0749+2255 is an important advancement in uncovering the origins of supermassive black holes. It may soon provide scientists with the necessary information to advance our current understanding of their evolution.
Related Article: NASA's Planet-Hunting TESS Finds Venus-Sized Exoplanet
