Earlier observations have led scientists to believe that the SDSS1133 was a supernova, a star whose life cycle has ended with a catastrophic explosion.
Michael Koss, an astronomer from the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii, however, saw that the object was visible in the skies when he looked at archived images from the Pan-STARRS telescope dating back as early as the 1950's.
What this means is that SDSS1133 had been shining brightly for more than 60 years and this poses a conundrum because no supernova is known to have burned for such a long time. More interestingly, the object started to get brighter and supernovas normally release one brilliant flash of light and then dim.
"This could be a new type of supernova that we've just never seen before. But it would have to be one of the most extreme cases ever observed," Koss said.
Recent observations made with a number of facilities including the SWIFT telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) though have led the scientists to consider that the object might be a black hole.
Black holes can also be bright as a result of their gravity heating up nearby gas. Also known as Active Galactic Nuclei, these brilliant black holes are often found at the center of galaxies. The interpretation of the object being a black hole, however, also has some loopholes because SDSS1133 is 2,600 light years away from the core of Markarian 177, its host galaxy, which is located in the bowl of the Big Dipper in the Ursa Major constellation.
Observations made using the Keck II telescope in Hawaii indicate that Markarian 177, a dwarf galaxy, underwent a significant disturbance recently and researchers suspect that two small galaxies may have merged and the collision possibly expelled SDSS1133 from its host galaxy.
Koss and colleagues also explored the possibility that object may be a rare type of massive star known as a luminous blue variable indicating that SDSS1133 is a one of a kind celestial object that astronomers have not yet encountered before.
"While this peculiar source displays many of the observational properties expected of a potential black hole recoil candidate, some of the properties could also be explained by a luminous blue variable star (LBV) erupting for decades since 1950, followed by a Type IIn SN in 2001," Koss and colleagues wrote in their research published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Sept. 29.
