The mystery of one of the most powerful things in the universe has been solved

Quasars are always located in the center of the galaxy and are supermassive black holes that greedily devour the surrounding disk of gas. Friction between gas molecules that were on their way to the black hole causes the temperature to rise to several million degrees.

The gas molecules become so hot that much of their mass is converted into radiation, eventually creating a burst of light that is often more powerful than the light from all the stars in the host galaxy combined.

Cosmic collisions are gasoline

In the new study, the researchers used the Isaac Newton Telescope to compare images of 48 quasars within 3.5 light-years and their host galaxies with images of more than 100 galaxies without quasar activity.

There astronomers discovered, among other things, what they call “distorted structures” in the outer regions of active galaxies.

The conclusion was that galaxies with quasars are three times more likely to collide with other galaxies, and that the very collision between galaxies spews gas in the direction of the black hole and is therefore part of the fuel behind the intense light show.

Astronomers already knew that quasars consist of gas particles that emit a final “roar” of light before disappearing into the black hole.

The new study reveals that cosmic collisions between galaxies are also crucial to the gas being sent in the direction of the ever-hungry black giants.

According to the researchers themselves, the discovery is an important step in understanding the powerful objects that, due to their enormous brightness, serve as a kind of beacon in the history of the childhood of the universe.

“Quarsans play a major role in our understanding of the history of the universe and possibly also the future of the Milky Way,” explains Johnny Pearce, who was involved in the study, among others. In a press release.