Astronomers Witness the First Activation of a Supermassive Black Hole

For the last four years, astronomers have observed the supermassive black hole at the center of SDSS1335+0728 undergo a transformation from a dim and inactive state to a bright and active one.

This real-time observation marks the first such transition ever documented. Researchers reported these findings in the June 18 issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

This discovery promises to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms behind active galactic nuclei (AGN), where supermassive black holes consume vast amounts of material, becoming luminous enough to be observed from great distances across the universe.

Discovery of SDSS1335+0728

Situated 300 million light-years away from Earth, SDSS1335+0728 attracted scientists’ notice in December 2019 when the Zwicky Transient Facility at Palomar Observatory in California detected a significant increase in its brightness in optical wavelengths.

“At first, we thought, ‘Okay, this is a typical AGN candidate,'” explained Paula Sánchez Sáez, an astrophysicist at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany. However, upon examining archival data spanning 20 years, they discovered that SDSS1335+0728 had not previously exhibited signs of activity.

Black holes can become luminous when they tear apart and consume stars, a phenomenon known as a tidal disruption event (SN: 5/16/22).

Prolonged Brightness of SDSS1335+0728

As material from the disrupted object swirls around the black hole, it heats up and emits intense radiation. Such events are typically brief, lasting a few days to months. Despite expectations, Sánchez Sáez and her team observed SDSS1335+0728 remaining bright for several years.

Just as the team prepared to publish their findings, in February, the space-based Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory detected SDSS1335+0728 beginning to emit X-rays. Other observatories observed it activating across various wavelengths.

“Based on all the data we’ve gathered, it appears we are witnessing the formation of an AGN for the first time,” Sánchez Sáez remarked.

Speculation on SDSS1335+0728’s Galactic Interaction

There is speculation that SDSS1335+0728 may be consuming a smaller satellite galaxy that has fallen into it, although the exact nature of the process remains unclear.

However, the researchers plan to conduct follow-up observations using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and future facilities like the Extremely Large Telescope.

These observations could reveal how gas moves around the black hole and potentially offer insights into the observed phenomenon.

“We hope that studying this source will provide insights into how AGNs form and how supermassive black holes grow,” Sánchez Sáez concluded.

Read the original article on: ScienceNews

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