14 DAY TRIAL // A group of astronomers using some of the most advanced telescopes in the world were recently able to discover a cosmic structure that has about the same size as our massive galaxy, the Milky Way, without being a galaxy or a cluster.
Scientists say that the formation is made up of gas jets and other emissions coming in from a quasi-stellar radio light source (quasar). Such a structure is the highly-active, distant and bright core of a very distant galaxy, astronomers say.
Generally, a quasar is powered by a supermassive black hole, astrophysicists say. In the case of the newly-observed structure, the black hole is so incredibly powerful that it releases jets that cover no less than 100,000 light-years in length.
For comparison, our entire galaxy is only this long from one of its ends to the other. The body releasing this much radiation was discovered back in 1963, and called 3C273. It was in fact the very first quasar identified ever.
A simple look at the proportionality that develops between this quasar and galaxies such as our own reveals that the supermassive black hole which releases these radiation is very, very large.
The Milky Way is not what you would call a dwarf galaxy. It is in fact a fairly massive cosmic structure, which is why astronomers were surprised to find the jets of a black hole as being longer.
In order to arrive at the new conclusions, experts used the NASA Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer infrared telescopes. All three were used to collect the attached image, which reveals the assorted light waves emanating from the quasar.
X-rays are shown in blue in this particular image. There are little to no gamma-rays emitted from this cosmic structure, which is weird considering that this form of radiation is a hallmark for quasars.
The other colors present in the photograph represent a variety of other wavelengths, such as for example ultraviolet, visible light and infrared, Daily Galaxy reports.
These forms of radiation are produced when gas attracted by the supermassive black hole powering up the quasar passes through the event horizon. This phenomenon releases energy in all possible forms, which is precisely why quasars are among the most luminous objects in the Universe.
The most intense light coming from these structures is called synchrotron radiation, and is produced as electrically-charged particles are passed through strong magnetic field, and accelerated to high energy levels.