In a new discovery, astronomers have observed a black hole releasing a flare equivalent to the light of 10 trillion suns, marking it as the largest observed flare from a black hole so far. The flare was detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a robotic survey camera located at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, California. The ZTF is designed to scan the sky for transient objects, including supernovae, asteroids and variable stars.
The black hole, designated as 3C 279, was first discovered in the late 1960s. It is a blazar, one of the most energetic types of galaxies that harbor active galactic nuclei. These nuclei can emit jets of particles traveling at almost the speed of light, which can produce high-energy light when aimed directly at Earth. 3C 279 is located in the Virgo constellation, approximately 5 billion light-years away from Earth.
The flare was observed in mid-June 2020 and was 100 times more powerful than the total light from our entire Milky Way galaxy. The flare was bright in all wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays, the highest energy form of light. It was so bright that the ZTF’s automatic software system flagged it as a possible anomaly.
The flare is believed to have been caused by the black hole consuming a star or a large amount of gas, leading to the release of a jet of particles. These particles then interacted with the strong magnetic fields near the black hole, leading to the emission of the observed flare. However, this is still a hypothesis and further studies are required to confirm it.
This discovery is significant as it provides new insights into the behavior of active galactic nuclei and the processes that occur near black holes. It also showcases the capabilities of the ZTF, which is proving to be a valuable tool for the detection of transient astronomical events.
Scientists will continue to monitor 3C 279 and other similar objects to better understand the mechanisms behind these powerful flares. This could potentially lead to the discovery of new physical processes occurring in the universe and contribute to our understanding of black holes and their behavior.
This research, led by scientists from the University of Maryland, was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The team behind it collaborated with other researchers from around the world, including those from the California Institute of Technology, the University of Tokyo, and the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany.
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