Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal two particularly rare binary quasars in the early universe.
Quasars are the most powerful celestial bodies in the universe. These are the nuclei of distant galaxies, created when a supermassive black hole in the center “swallows” surrounding matter and emits extremely strong radiation. This star-shaped object is powered by infinite matter and can shine 1000 times brighter than all the stars in the host galaxy.
Meanwhile, “double quasars” is a term that refers to pairs of quasars so close to each other that they look like an object on Earth. They are often the result of galactic fusion events. Such systems are particularly rare and difficult to observe. To date, only more than 100 double crystal standards are known.
“We estimate that in the distant universe, for every 1000 quasars, there is a double quasar. Finding them is like finding a needle at the bottom of a swimming pool,” said astronomer Yue Shen of the University. from Illinois to America.
In a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy in April, Shen and his colleagues reported the discovery of not one but two double quasars in galaxies merged about 10 billion light years away. They are named J0749 + 2255 and J0841 + 4825.
“These are actually the first binary quasars from the maximum era of galaxy formation that we can use to probe the fusion theory of supermassive black holes,” said Nadia Zakamska, a member of the research team at the ‘Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Observations from the Hubble Glass show that the quasars of each pair are only about 10,000 light years apart. For comparison, our Sun is 26,000 light years from the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way.
Astronomers hypothesize that double quasars were at their maximum 10 billion years ago, when the universe was still in its infancy. This is because there were a lot of galactic mergers back then, providing material for the supermassive black holes in the center. When the host galaxies have finished merging, the binary quasars can also recombine, forming a single larger black hole.
Currently, Hubble is the only telescope with a resolution sharp enough to look at the early universe and distinguish two different light points in binary quasars. The team is hoping that future advanced space telescopes like James Webb can provide more information about the system.
