Discovery of the Porfirio black hole

Usually, when we get a new observing capability, such as combining a wide field of view with very high sensitivity for large-scale Lofar structures, we find something new, but it’s still very exciting to see a lot of these things emerge. Martin Hardcastle, co-author of the study and professor of astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire in England, told Caltech

To find the galaxy where Porphyry originated, scientists used a combination of equipment. One of them, GMRT (Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope), is in India. Another project, called DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Analyzer), operates at Kitt Peak National Observatory, in Arizona (USA). According to the researchers’ observations, the origin of the jets is a “strong” galaxy, about ten times larger than our Milky Way.

Distance from Earth and the radiating black hole. From ugly records made by the WM Keck Observatory, in Hawaii (USA), which was also part of the study, scientists determined the distance of the porphyry relative to the Earth: 7.5 billion light-years. WM Keck’s observations also indicate that the porphyry emerged from an active black hole in radiative mode.

When supermassive black holes become active, the structures emit energy in the form of radiation or jets. According to the researchers, radiative-mode black holes were more common in the “young” or “distant” universe, while jet-mode black holes are more common in the current universe.

What does discovery mean?

Porphyry suggests that jet systems may have had a greater impact on the universe than previously imagined. According to scientists, the jets in black holes may have influenced the formation of currently known galaxies, having reached a larger part of the cosmic web. “If such distant jets can reach the size of the cosmic web, it is possible that every place in the universe will be affected by black hole activity at some point in cosmic time,” Ooi explains.