One of the largest black holes ever recorded has been discovered using a new technique that could uncover thousands of elusive celestial monsters next year, according to astronomers.
The ultramassive black hole, one of only four observed, is more than 30 billion times the mass of the Sun, a new study says.
This is the first black hole to be observed using a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, where light coming towards us from distant galaxies appears to expand and bend inwards, suggesting the presence of dark giants.
the largest black hole
James Nightingale, an astronomer at the University of Durham in England and lead author of the study, told AFP the process was “similar to light shining through the bottom of a wine glass”.
He said it was “extremely coincidental” that light from galaxies in the distant universe came so close to this black hole, which is about two billion light-years from Earth.
Also read: Astronomers reveal the first image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way
It could even be the largest black hole ever recorded, but it’s hard to say given the various techniques and uncertainties, he added.
The supermassive black hole located at the center of the galaxy uses its immense gravitational pull to burn stars like specks of dust, not even allowing light to escape.
Black holes of this size have previously been observed as voracious eaters giving off too much light at their edges – or by measuring the orbits of stars that accelerate as they pass.
But the technique only works for galaxies relatively close to Earth.
– Landscape to ‘dramatically change’ –
Gravitational lensing allows astronomers to “find black holes in 99 percent of other galaxies that are currently inaccessible,” Nightingale said.
There are currently around 500 known gravitational lenses – at least one of which we currently know is a supermassive black hole.
But “the landscape is about to change dramatically,” Nightingale said.
Also read: Scientists detect mysterious ‘intermediate mass’ black hole
The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission, which is planned to launch into space in July, will usher in an “era of big data” for black hole hunters by creating a high-resolution map of the universe, he said.
Over the next six years Euclid could discover 100,000 new gravitational lenses, potentially pointing to thousands of previously hidden black holes, Nightingale added.
For the latest discovery, researchers used computer simulations and images from the Hubble Space Telescope to confirm the findings, as well as rule out other possibilities such as overconcentration of dark matter.
The large size is also consistent with what would be expected for a black hole at the center of a giant host galaxy, Nightingale said.
The mass of all the stars in the galaxy, dubbed Abell 1201, is more than a trillion times that of our Sun, meaning there will be a supermassive black hole at its center.
The study was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Tuesday.
Also Read: Scientists discover supermassive, ‘uncertain’ black hole in our galaxy