Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
In December 2019, the Zwicky Transient Facility, a telescope on California's Palomar Mountain, detected an unusual flare from a galaxy 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.
The flare's intensity has varied dramatically over four years, an unusually long duration for such phenomena. This behaviour is unlike any typical cosmic event observed before.
Paula Sánchez-Sáez, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, highlighted the unprecedented nature of this discovery, suggesting a new cosmic phenomenon at play.
Researchers propose that a giant black hole in the galaxy's center, SDSS1335+0728, is awakening from dormancy, consuming surrounding gas and emitting detectable light as the gas heats up before falling into the black hole.
Study co-author Lorena Hernández García noted that this is the first real-time observation of such a black hole flare in this galaxy, which has been monitored for years without previous similar events.
Post-2019 observations reveal that the galaxy is emitting significantly more light across ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths.
One theory is that a star ventured too close to the black hole and was shredded, causing the flare. However, black hole-induced stellar disruptions typically last a few hundred days, not four years.
Despite various hypotheses, the exact cause of the prolonged flare remains unknown. Researchers emphasize the need for continued monitoring to understand this phenomenon better.
A paper detailing these findings has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Continued observations will aim to unravel the mystery behind the flare and enhance understanding of black hole behaviors and galaxy evolution.