NASA Chandra Captures a Rapidly Growing Yet Underachieving Black Hole

Jace Dela Cruz, Tech Times 22 March 2024, 03:03 am

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured an image of a quasar, identified as H1821+643, which is a rapidly growing supermassive black hole located approximately 3.4 billion light-years away from Earth.

The image, a composite of data from Chandra and the NSF's Karl G. Jansky's Very Large Array, suggests that this particular quasar is not meeting astronomers' expectations in terms of its impact on its host galaxy, according to NASA.

NASA’s Chandra Identifies an Underachieving Black Hole — This composite image captures a quasar, an extraordinary class of supermassive black holes situated approximately 3.4 billion light-years away from Earth. A brilliant, circular light resembling a focused flashlight beam is evident at the core of the depiction. Surrounding this, a faint, bar-shaped formation emits red-colored radio waves, slightly surpassing the width of the central light. The red bar extends vertically from roughly one o'clock to seven o'clock on a clock face. Adjacent to the red bar, wispy clouds of blue X-ray light signify hot gas, denser and closer to the central red and white elements. These brighter clouds denote regions of higher gas density, according to NASA. (Photo : X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Nottingham/H. Russell et al.; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk)

An Underachieving Supermassive Black Hole?

Quasars are an extraordinary class of supermassive black holes known for their voracious appetite, pulling in material at an intense rate and emitting powerful radiation and jets. H1821+643, situated in a galaxy cluster, stands out for its proximity to Earth among quasars.

Unlike other supermassive black holes in galaxy clusters, quasars like H1821+643 consume material at a higher rate. Typically, black holes growing at moderate rates influence their surroundings by regulating the growth of stars in their vicinity. However, the impact of quasars on their host galaxies is less understood.

Researchers utilized Chandra to study the hot gas surrounding H1821+643 and its host galaxy to investigate this. Despite the challenge posed by the quasar's intense X-rays, the team managed to isolate the weaker X-rays from the hot gas, revealing that the quasar's influence on its surroundings is minimal.

Analysis of the data showed that the density of gas near the black hole is higher, and temperatures are lower compared to regions farther away. Typically, energy input from black hole outbursts prevents hot gas from cooling down and flowing towards the center of the cluster, but in this case, such energy input seems to be lacking.

A Black Hole in X-ray Light

The composite image depicts the quasar as a bright, circular light at the center, surrounded by a red-colored bar-shaped radio light structure, as NASA explained.

Blue wispy clouds of hot gas, representing X-ray emissions, are present on either side of the red bar, with brighter clouds indicating denser gas.

Overall, the findings suggest that despite its rapid growth, H1821+643 may not be as influential in shaping its host galaxy and cluster as previously thought. This discovery challenges existing notions about the role of quasars in galactic evolution and highlights the complexity of these cosmic phenomena.