Using data from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer or WISE telescope (40cms in diameter), whose mission is to study infrared radiation, scientists have discovered a remote galaxy that shines as brightly as 300 trillion suns combined . It is undoubtedly the most luminous galaxy in the universe and belongs to a new class of objects recently discovered and cataloged as very luminous infrared galaxies or ELIRGs . The finding has been published in The Astrophysical Journal .
“We are in a very intense stage in the evolution of galaxies. This dazzling light may be from the main growth stage of the galaxy’s black hole, ”says Chao-Wei Tsai of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California (USA) and leader of the study. .
The dazzling galaxy has been dubbed WISE J224607.57-052635.0 and, according to astrophysicists, it may contain a supermassive black hole inside that is absorbing gas. Finding a giant black hole in the nucleus of galaxies is not strange, but discovering one of such magnitude and at such a far distance in our cosmos is. In fact, for the light of this glowing galaxy to reach us, it has had to travel 12,500,000,000 years .
The black hole that contains this galaxy was already billions of times the mass of our Sun when our Universe was barely one tenth of its current age of 13.8 million years. So how is it possible that this black hole is so gigantic? The hypotheses are diverse but it is clear that more research is required to solve this new galactic puzzle. The first task of the team of scientists will be to determine the mass of the central black hole in order to help us reveal its cosmic history.
WISE J224607.57-052635.0 was not WISE’s only discovery. Thanks to its capture of infrared light, this telescope that was launched on December 14, 2009, has found a total of 20 objects classified as ELIRGs . All of them are in the distant universe.
Image credit: NASA
