|
. | . |
|
by Staff Writers London, UK (SPX) Sep 25, 2015
The central supermassive black hole of a recently discovered galaxy is far larger than should be possible, according to current theories of galactic evolution. New work, carried out by astronomers at Keele University and the University of Central Lancashire, shows that the black hole is much more massive than it should be, compared to the mass of the galaxy around it. The scientists publish their results in a paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The galaxy, SAGE0536AGN, was initially discovered with NASA's Spitzer space telescope in infrared light. Thought to be at least 9 billion years old, it contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN), an incredibly bright object resulting from the accretion of gas by a central supermassive black hole. The gas is accelerated to high velocities due to the black hole's immense gravitational field, causing this gas to emit light. The team has now also confirmed the presence of the black hole by measuring the speed of the gas moving around it. Using the Southern African Large Telescope, the scientists observed that an emission line of hydrogen in the galaxy spectrum (where light is dispersed into its different colours - a similar effect is seen using a prism) is broadened through the Doppler Effect, where the wavelength (colour) of light from objects is blue- or red-shifted depending on whether they are moving towards or away from us. The degree of broadening implies that the gas is moving around at high speed, a result of the strong gravitational field of the black hole. These data have been used to calculate the black hole's mass: the more massive the black hole, the broader the emission line. The black hole in SAGE0536AGN was found to be 350 million times the mass of the Sun. But the mass of the galaxy itself, obtained through measurements of the movement of its stars, has been calculated to be 25 billion solar masses. This is seventy times larger than that of the black hole, but the black hole is still thirty times larger than expected for this size of galaxy. "Galaxies have a vast mass, and so do the black holes in their cores. This one though is really too big for its boots - it simply shouldn't be possible for it to be so large", said Dr Jacco van Loon, an astrophysicist at Keele University and the lead author on the new paper. In ordinary galaxies the black hole would grow at the same rate as the galaxy, but in SAGE0536AGN the black hole has grown much faster, or the galaxy stopped growing prematurely. Because this galaxy was found by accident, there may be more such objects waiting to be discovered. Time will tell whether SAGE0536AGN really is an oddball, or simply the first in a new class of galaxies.
Related Links Royal Astronomical Society Understanding Time and Space
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |