Scientists detect earliest quasar
Source: Agencies |
July 1, 2011, Friday
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A TEAM of European astronomers, glimpsing back in time to when the universe was just a youngster, said it has detected the most distant and earliest quasar yet.
Light from this brilliant, starlike object took nearly 13 billion years to reach Earth, meaning the quasar existed when the universe was only 770 million years old - a kid by cosmic standards. The discovery ranks as the brightest object ever found.
To scientists' surprise, the black hole powering this quasar was 2 billion times larger than the sun. How it grew so bulky so early in the universe's history is a mystery. Black holes are known to feed on stars, gas and other matter, but their growth was always thought to be slow.
The discovery was reported in yesterday's issue of the journal Nature.
Since quasars are so luminous, they guide astronomers studying the conditions of the cosmos following the Big Bang, the explosion believed to have created the universe 13.7 billion years ago. Researchers are constantly trying to outdo one another in their quest to see the universe as an infant. The deeper they peer into space, the further back in time they are looking.
The previous record holder was a quasar that dated to when the universe was 870 million years old.
The new quasar has the tongue-twisting name of ULAS J1120+0641.
Light from this brilliant, starlike object took nearly 13 billion years to reach Earth, meaning the quasar existed when the universe was only 770 million years old - a kid by cosmic standards. The discovery ranks as the brightest object ever found.
To scientists' surprise, the black hole powering this quasar was 2 billion times larger than the sun. How it grew so bulky so early in the universe's history is a mystery. Black holes are known to feed on stars, gas and other matter, but their growth was always thought to be slow.
The discovery was reported in yesterday's issue of the journal Nature.
Since quasars are so luminous, they guide astronomers studying the conditions of the cosmos following the Big Bang, the explosion believed to have created the universe 13.7 billion years ago. Researchers are constantly trying to outdo one another in their quest to see the universe as an infant. The deeper they peer into space, the further back in time they are looking.
The previous record holder was a quasar that dated to when the universe was 870 million years old.
The new quasar has the tongue-twisting name of ULAS J1120+0641.
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