A team of astronomers from Durham University in the United Kingdom have recently made an incredible discovery - a black hole that is 30 billion times the mass of our Sun. The researchers found the ultramassive black hole using a technique called gravitational lensing, which allows scientists to detect objects in space that would otherwise be invisible.
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| The Ultramassive Black Hole ( Credit-ESA/Hubble) |
The lead author of the study, Dr. James Nightingale, said that the discovery of this massive black hole was "extremely exciting" and would help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Supermassive black holes are thought to exist at the center of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. These black holes are much larger than the black holes created by the collapse of a single star and can have masses ranging from hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of the Sun.
The ultramassive black hole discovered by the Durham researchers is believed to be the largest ever found, and its origin is still unclear. The team used gravitational lensing, a phenomenon first predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, to detect the black hole.
Gravitational lensing occurs when the gravity of a massive object, such as a galaxy or black hole, bends and distorts the light from objects behind it. This distortion can make distant objects appear brighter or larger than they actually are, allowing scientists to detect them.
Using this technique, the Durham team was able to detect the ultramassive black hole, which is located in a distant quasar - a type of extremely bright and distant galaxy that emits intense radiation. The researchers were able to use the gravitational lensing effect of the ultramassive black hole to detect the quasar, which would otherwise have been too faint to see.
Overall, the discovery of this ultramassive black hole is an exciting development in the field of astronomy and highlights the importance of continued research into the mysteries of the universe.
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by- Hritik Raj