Space Tsunamis
Energy being expelled with such force that it disrupts everything in its path.
A team of astronomers recently observed the expulsions of energy from a quasar, to be so strong that it disrupts the actions of everything it hits.
According to Phys.org, "Quasars are created when a black hole devours matter, thus emitting intense radiation." This energy pushes material away from the core of the galaxy at remarkable speeds- up to a few percent the speed of light. While that may not sound like much, one percent of the speed of light is still 3 million meters per second (6.7 million miles per hour).
This energy expelled from quasars also displaces material that may have later condensed into a new star. "The quasar winds disseminate across the galaxy's disc, violently sweeping material that otherwise would have formed new stars. Radiation pushes the gas and dust for far greater distances than scientists previously thought, creating a galaxy-wide event, according to the study," (Phys.org).
This material is thrown from the galaxy and eventually into something else. This collision gives off extreme heat, resulting in radiation everywhere in the light spectrum. "'You'll get lots of radiation first in X-rays and gamma rays, and afterwards it will percolate to visible and infrared light,' said Arav. 'You'd get a huge light show—like Christmas trees all over the galaxy,'" (NASA.gov).
This discovery has led to deeper understanding of the formation of galaxies and why they form the way they do. "Such outflows can explain some important cosmological puzzles, such as why astronomers observe so few large galaxies in the universe and why there is a relationship between the mass of the galaxy and the mass of its central black hole," (Phys.org).
The study also show just how remarkable observation technology has become. Using Hubble Telescope, the team of researchers was not only able to observe this effect, but also the speeds at which the quasars were blasting material away, and the increase in speed over a few years. "It increased from nearly 43 million miles per hour to roughly 46 million miles per hour in a three-year period," (NASA.gov).
Photo Credit: Nasa.gov
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-team-quasar-tsunamis-capable-stars.html
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/quasar-tsunamis-rip-across-galaxies
Energy being expelled with such force that it disrupts everything in its path.
A team of astronomers recently observed the expulsions of energy from a quasar, to be so strong that it disrupts the actions of everything it hits.
According to Phys.org, "Quasars are created when a black hole devours matter, thus emitting intense radiation." This energy pushes material away from the core of the galaxy at remarkable speeds- up to a few percent the speed of light. While that may not sound like much, one percent of the speed of light is still 3 million meters per second (6.7 million miles per hour).
This energy expelled from quasars also displaces material that may have later condensed into a new star. "The quasar winds disseminate across the galaxy's disc, violently sweeping material that otherwise would have formed new stars. Radiation pushes the gas and dust for far greater distances than scientists previously thought, creating a galaxy-wide event, according to the study," (Phys.org).
This material is thrown from the galaxy and eventually into something else. This collision gives off extreme heat, resulting in radiation everywhere in the light spectrum. "'You'll get lots of radiation first in X-rays and gamma rays, and afterwards it will percolate to visible and infrared light,' said Arav. 'You'd get a huge light show—like Christmas trees all over the galaxy,'" (NASA.gov).
This discovery has led to deeper understanding of the formation of galaxies and why they form the way they do. "Such outflows can explain some important cosmological puzzles, such as why astronomers observe so few large galaxies in the universe and why there is a relationship between the mass of the galaxy and the mass of its central black hole," (Phys.org).
The study also show just how remarkable observation technology has become. Using Hubble Telescope, the team of researchers was not only able to observe this effect, but also the speeds at which the quasars were blasting material away, and the increase in speed over a few years. "It increased from nearly 43 million miles per hour to roughly 46 million miles per hour in a three-year period," (NASA.gov).
Photo Credit: Nasa.gov
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-team-quasar-tsunamis-capable-stars.html
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/quasar-tsunamis-rip-across-galaxies
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