A team of scientists from Durham University have announced the discovery of an ultramassive black hole around 33 billion times the mass of the sun.
According to the researchers, this black hole is one of the biggest ever found and is an extremely exciting discovery. The team’s findings have been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The Most Massive Objects in the Universe
Ultramassive black holes are the most massive objects in the universe, ranging between 10 billion and 40 billion times the mass of the sun.
These black holes are believed to exist at the center of large galaxies, such as the Milky Way, which includes our own solar system.
The origins of these black holes are still unclear, but some astronomers believe they were formed by the extreme merger of massive galaxies billions of years ago when the universe was still young.
Gravitational Lensing Used to Confirm the Size of the Ultramassive Black Hole
To discover this ultramassive black hole, the team used a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. This technique allowed them to convert a nearby galaxy into a giant magnifying glass and reveal the presence of the black hole.
The scientists also used supercomputer simulations at Durham University and images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope to confirm the size of the black hole. The researchers say that this is the first black hole found using gravitational lensing.
New Approach to Studying Inactive Black Holes
Dr. James Nightingale, the lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Physics at Durham University, says that gravitational lensing makes it possible to study inactive black holes, something that is not currently possible in distant galaxies.
The researchers hope that this approach will enable them to detect many more black holes beyond our local universe and reveal how these exotic objects evolved further back in cosmic time.
Commentary
The discovery of this ultramassive black hole is a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the universe.
Black holes are some of the most mysterious and enigmatic objects in the cosmos, and studying them can help us learn more about the evolution of galaxies and the universe as a whole.
The use of gravitational lensing to study inactive black holes is an innovative approach that could reveal many more of these objects beyond our local universe.
This discovery is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of the scientists at Durham University and their commitment to expanding our knowledge of the universe.