Astronomers discover the brightest object in the universe – a quasar powered by a black hole that devours the sun every day space

The brightest known object in the universe, a quasar 500 trillion times brighter than our Sun, was “hiding in plain sight,” researchers say.

Australian scientists have discovered a quasar powered by the fastest-growing black hole ever discovered. Its mass is about 17 billion times the mass of our solar system's sun, and it devours the equivalent of one sun every day.

The light from this celestial body traveled more than 12 billion years to reach Earth.

It was first discovered by Australian National University scientists using a 2.3 meter telescope at the university's NSW Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran. They then confirmed the discovery using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope, which has an 8-meter primary mirror.

The findings by Australian National University researchers, in collaboration with ESO, the University of Melbourne, and France's Sorbonne University, have been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Lead author and associate professor at the Australian National University, Christian Wolff, said it was the brightest known object in the universe, and that its astonishing growth rate meant a “tremendous emission of light and heat” – and that he doubted its record would ever be revealed. To be beaten.

The light is emitted from an “accretion disk” about seven light-years in diameter. This disk is where material is pulled into the black hole and orbits around it, before crossing the event horizon.

When this material collides with other materials, it produces huge amounts of light and heat.

“It appears to be a giant magnetic storm cell with a temperature of 10,000 degrees Celsius, lightning everywhere, and the winds are blowing so fast that they would orbit the Earth in one second,” Wolf said.

“This storm cell is seven light-years across, which is 50% greater than the distance from our solar system to the next star in the galaxy, Alpha Centauri.”

Dr. Christopher Onken, co-author, said it was surprising that the virus had remained undetected for so long, and that it was “hiding in plain sight.”

Wolf said he had two different feelings about the discovery.

“One part is a moment of shock and awe,” he said. “Imagine this hellish place… Imagine these conditions, and nature producing something even more extreme than we had previously thought of.”

“The other is a cheeky little joy – we've found it! Nature doesn't make it easy, it's like 'Ah, there you go!'”

• This article has been modified to correct the size of the primary mirror of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, which is 8 meters and not 39 meters as previously mentioned.