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| Dwarf galaxy / photo[unsplash ] |
A group of astronomers has found a black hole meandering through its native dwarf galaxy, carrying along it's active region.
"What makes this discovery even more astonishing is that it is an intermediate-mass black hole, a category of object that has been elusive to astronomers for many years." They said.
"This is like to a cosmic lighthouse illuminated by a wandering black hole," said Liu Yuanqi, an astronomer from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO).
"Even though it has drifted away from the galactic center, it continues to radiate powerful energy outward."he added
The revelation that black hole growth might not be confined to the centers of galaxies could provide insights into the influence of supermassive black holes, which have masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun, on the development of their host galaxies. It may also help explain how these colossal cosmic entities grew so rapidly in the early universe.
The off-center accreting black hole, which is emitting jets as it moves, was identified in a dwarf galaxy known as MaNGA 12772-12704, situated approximately 230 million light-years away.
It is located about 3,260 light-years from the center of its home galaxy, where scientists typically expect to find an accreting supermassive black hole dominating a region referred to as an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
The widely accepted view of galaxies and black holes depicts supermassive black holes residing at the cores of galactic centers, functioning as a central engine that can be quiet at times or voraciously consuming matter and generating powerful jets.
However, researchers are increasingly uncovering that some massive black holes venture away from their central positions in galaxies. These wandering black holes can drift into the galactic disks of their home systems or even reach the fringes of these galaxies.
Astronomers actively search for these rogue black holes in dwarf galaxies because, in contrast to larger galaxies, their reduced masses and simpler evolutionary paths retain more evidence regarding the early development of black holes
This discovery has raised concern as more scientists are struggling to find more research to continue proving even more existing galaxy that would even raise another reason among various stars in the universe.