Researchers have discovered a new "superpowered"but small black hole.
The black hole, dubbed MQ1, is one of the few compact objects researchers have seen that packs so much punch; until now researchers were not able to determine the size of these miniature black holes, a Curtin University news release reported.
"MQ1 is classed as a microquasar - a black hole surrounded by a bubble of hot gas, which is heated by two jets just outside the black hole, powerfully shooting out energy in opposite directions, acting like cosmic sandblasters pushing out on the surrounding gas," Study leader Doctor Roberto Soria, who is part of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), said in the news release.
"The significance of the huge jet power measured for MQ1 goes beyond this particular galaxy: it helps astronomers understand and quantify the strong effect that black hole jets have on the surrounding gas, which gets heated and swept away," he said.
The object was discovered in a nearby galaxy called M83; the small black hole could help researchers gain insight into the evolution of stars within a spiral galaxy. Researchers believe these types of black holes were more common 12 billion years ago, when the universe was in its infancy.
"By studying microquasars such as MQ1, we get a glimpse of how the early universe evolved, how fast quasars grew and how much energy black holes provided to their environment," Soria said.
The most powerful microquasar in our galaxy, called SS433, is believed to be about 10 times weaker than MQ1.
The black MQ1 black hole is only about 60 miles wide, but its jets extend as far as 20 lightyears on either side, this is larger than our solar system. The object is a "stellar mass black hole" that most likely formed when a star collapsed leaving behind a mass.
