A gigantic explosion of a black hole in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster rips such a large crater that the Milky Way would fit in 15 times.
- Researchers discover the crater of a gigantic explosion in the galaxy cluster Ophiuchus
- The Milky Way would fit into this crater - even huge - 15 times
- In 2016, the explosion was discarded because it was too large
The galaxy cluster Ophiuchus is approximately 390 million light years from Earth. Nevertheless, it is currently the focus of interest for astronomers. Because in this galaxy cluster, researchers have registered the largest explosion known to date in the universe , according to them, it is the largest explosion since the Big Bang. According to the researchers, the starting point of the explosion was a supermassive black hole in a galaxy in the center of the cluster.
Gigantic explosion in the galaxy cluster: discovery was first discarded
In 2016, another team of researchers discovered the first signs of a gigantic explosion in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster with the help of the "Chandra" X-ray telescope. At that time, the idea that the find could be evidence of an explosion was still rejected because of the enormous expansion of the explosion crater discovered, which is actually a giant gas bubble. Now, a new study led by a team led by Simona Giacintucci from the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC shows that this gas bubble apparently developed after an explosion .
The explosion released about five times more energy than the previous record holder, which was registered in 2005, writes the research team in the journal "The Astrophysical Journal". Among other things, the team examined the region with the “XMM Newtonian” telescope, which confirmed the observations of “Chandra”.
The biggest explosion seen in the universe has been found.
How data from our @chandraxray observatory contributed to the discovery of a record-breaking, gargantuan eruption from a black hole hundreds of millions of light years away: https://t.co/PE4tFfjq44 pic.twitter.com/CQVUOFZPsz
The biggest explosion seen in the universe has been found.
How data from our @chandraxray observatory contributed to the discovery of a record-breaking, gargantuan eruption from a black hole hundreds of millions of light years away: https://t.co/PE4tFfjq44 pic.twitter.com/CQVUOFZPsz
Explosion in slow motion - the Milky Way would fit into the resulting gas bubble 15 times
"We have seen outbreaks in the centers of galaxies before, but this one is really, really massive," co-author Melanie Johnston-Hollitt of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) quotes in a statement from her facility. Why the explosion was so violent is unclear. "But it happened very slowly - like a slow motion explosion that spanned hundreds of millions of years."
In the gas bubble created by the explosion, the Milky Way could be packed 15 times side by side, Giacintucci emphasizes the size of the explosion. The explosion has now to be completed, the researchers conclude from their data: They could not find any evidence of new outbreaks in their data, according to a statement from Nasa. "We need observations in several wavelengths to really understand the physical processes," emphasizes Johnston-Hollitt.
Galaxy clusters contain thousands of individual galaxies
Galaxy clusters are considered the largest structures in the universe. They are held together by gravity and contain thousands of individual galaxies, dark matter and hot gas. The Ophiuchus galaxy cluster is located in the constellation Snake Bearer (lat .: Ophiuchus). It was discovered in 1981.
By Tanja Banner, with material from dpa