Astronomers observed an unprecedented event where a supermassive black hole, with an estimated mass between 1 million and 1.5 million solar masses, located at the center of the distant galaxy SDSS1335+0728, about 300-360 million light-years away, transitioned from an inactive state for decades to an active state, emitting various types of radiation, including X-rays, over four years.
This awakening of the supermassive black hole, forming an active galactic nucleus (AGN) fueled by the accretion of matter, is unprecedented and was observed in real-time for the first time, providing insights into the processes that fuel AGNs and the growth and evolution of supermassive black holes.
NASA - black hole
The unusual brightness could be due to a tidal disruption event, where the black hole consumes stars, an extended tidal disruption event, or an entirely new phenomenon, leaving experts perplexed and considering various hypotheses, as the sustained and increasing brightness of the galaxy over the years is unique.
The supermassive black hole did not launch high-energy particle jets into space, and scientists still do not know what activated it, leaving open the possibility of it being a natural process or a never-before-seen phenomenon.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: CNN, The Washington Post, Science News, Ars Technica, The Epoch Times, DW, France24.