Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole that’s believed to be about 20 million times the mass of the Sun, speeding away from the core of a distant galaxy. While the black hole is moving through intergalactic space, it’s compressing the scant gas and dust available, leaving behind a thin line of newly formed stars that’s about 200,000 light-years long. This discovery provides the first observational evidence showing that supermassive black holes can be ejected from their parent galaxies.
InShort:
A team of astronomers from Yale University and NASA have identified a wake of newly formed stars trailing behind a black hole that’s speeding away from the core of a distant galaxy. The black hole, believed to be about 20 million times the mass of the Sun, is compressing the scant gas and dust available in intergalactic space, creating a thin line of newly formed stars that’s about 200,000 light-years long. The researchers think this black hole was likely ejected during a complex dance between three supermassive black holes involved in a pair of galaxy mergers.
The Stellar Wake of the Runaway Black Hole
As the supermassive black hole barrels through intergalactic space, it’s leaving behind a wake of newly formed stars. This stellar wake is thin but packed with plenty of hot blue stars, making it almost half as bright as the parent galaxy it traces back to. The researchers think they’re seeing a wake behind the black hole where the gas cools and is able to form stars, just like the wake behind a ship.
The First Observational Evidence of Ejected Supermassive Black Holes
Based on the available evidence, the researchers think this black hole was likely ejected during a complex dance between three supermassive black holes that were involved in a pair of galaxy mergers. If confirmed, this would be the first observational evidence showing that supermassive black holes can be ejected from their parent galaxies. Although black holes themselves don’t emit light, they often leave behind visible traces of their existence, such as dense disks of swirling, superheated gas and dust.
Source: https://astronomy.com/
Research Scopes
This discovery could open up new opportunities for research on supermassive black holes and their ejection from galaxies. Future studies could focus on understanding the complex interactions that lead to the ejection of supermassive black holes, as well as the formation and evolution of the thin line of newly formed stars left behind in their wake. Such studies could shed light on the evolution of galaxies and the role of supermassive black holes in their formation.