Scientists have detected the largest-ever jets of energy shooting from a supermassive black hole in a galaxy 7.5 billion light-years from Earth, according to a study published in Nature Science journal.
These extraordinary jets stretch a mind-boggling 23 million light-years, about 140 times the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy.
This discovery, made using the LOFAR (low-frequency array) radio telescope, reveals how black holes at the hearts of distant galaxies can project vast streams of energy across space, transforming their surroundings on a colossal scale.
"We've known for a while that black holes can generate these jets. But what is interesting is that to generate a large structure like this, the jets must stay on for a long time - about a billion years," astrophysicist and study co-author Martin Hardcastle of the University of Hertfordshire in England was quoted as saying.
Nicknamed Porphyrion, after a giant from Greek mythology, these jets are composed of subatomic particles and magnetic fields, moving near the speed of light. The incredible length and sustained power of these jets suggest that they have been active for about a billion years, feeding off a steady flow of matter into the black hole. Their energetic output is equivalent to trillions of suns, rivaling the most violent events in the universe, such as the merging of galaxy clusters.
This discovery is a key to unlocking the mysteries of black holes and their influence on the universe. Researchers believe these jets could heat the gas in intergalactic space, stifling star formation and potentially affecting habitable planets.
While the black hole at the center of the Milky Way is currently dormant, Porphyrion shows that under the right conditions, black holes can shape the very structure of the cosmos, extending their influence far beyond their host galaxies.