02/20/2024
I just read this and it inspired my first post in a long time...
500 trillion times brighter than the sun!? WOW. Just, WOW.
No matter what happens now or in the future, isn't this Universe absolutely amazing?
What an incredible example of the Balancing Forces of the Universe on massive massive Macrocosmic scale.
What do you think?
Love, joy, peace and goodwill to One and All!
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Astronomers have identified what is believed to be the most luminous object in the universe, roughly 12 billion light-years away, according to a study released yesterday. The 7-light-year wide quasar, which is also powered by the fastest-growing black hole observed to date, is said to be 500 trillion times brighter than the sun.
Quasars—an abbreviation of "quasi-stellar radio source"—are a type of highly active, extremely bright galaxy core produced by the powerful effects of supermassive black holes (watch 101). Over 1 million have been observed in the universe, with the nearest roughly 600 million light-years away.
The J0529-4351 quasar, first spotted in 1980, was initially misclassified as a star due to its extreme brightness and was only confirmed to be a quasar last year. The Australian-led team claims the quasar's black hole consumes the equivalent of 370 suns each year and has a mass roughly 18 billion times that of our sun. Zoom in on the quasar here.
The quasar, as bright as 500 trillion suns, has evaded astronomers for over 40 years because of its incredible luminosity.
