A ghostly plasma lens occulting QSR J1819+3845 has been imaged directly at radio wavelengths. What can we learn about this strange interloper? (Image: unrelated observation of solar activity resembling a jack-o’-lantern, courtesy NASA/GSFC/SDO)
Many dark galaxies may be hiding unseen in the universe—but we still might be able to detect them. Here’s how.
Supermassive black holes are among the most exciting objects in the universe. Even more so, when they dance around each other after the merger of two galaxies.
Today’s astrobite is not about disc jockey insects informing us about spacetime. Read on to find out a novel way of detecting electromagnetic counterparts of merging supermassive black holes.
Quasar PSO J334.2028+01.4075 has a very healthy heart rate of 6.7 beats per decade, or once every 542 days. One explanation is that this guy hosts a pair of supermassive black holes. If true, then the astonishing interpretation of this quasar’s heart rate is that its black holes are only a few orbits away from merging!
How are supermassive black holes created in the first place? Oh, we need supermassive stars of course! But then, how do we form these supermassive stars…? The answer could be by ramming two protogalaxies against one another at high speeds.