Latest news with #SubaruTelescope
Hans India
2 days ago
- Science
- Hans India
JWST uncovers new kind of black holes linking classical quasars and 'Little Red Dots'
Astronomers have identified a previously unseen class of supermassive black holes in the early universe by combining Subaru Telescope data with follow-up observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These dust-enshrouded quasars, dating to within the first billion years after the Big Bang, bridge the gap between well-known, brightly shining quasars and the faint 'Little Red Dots' JWST first spotted in late 2022. For over a decade, ground-based surveys with Subaru flagged galaxies whose light signatures hinted at more than just star formation, but technical limits prevented a definitive identification. By re-examining 13 of these candidates using JWST's sensitive infrared spectrograph, an international team detected the telltale broad emission lines and high-velocity gas flows that confirm active galactic nuclei powered by supermassive black holes cloaked in heavy dust. Of those 13 galaxies, nine revealed these hidden quasars, whose intrinsic brightness rivals that of classical quasars but whose optical light is heavily reddened by surrounding dust—mirroring the characteristics of the 'Little Red Dots.' Lead author Yoshiki Matsuoka of Ehime University remarked, 'We were surprised to find that obscured quasars are so abundant in the early universe,' suggesting that many young black holes have eluded detection in previous surveys. Independent expert Jorryt Matthee of IST Austria, who was not involved in the study, praised the robustness of the spectral data and noted that this new population likely represents the 'missing link' between the rare, brilliant quasars and the smaller, dimmer red dots. As more of these objects are confirmed, astronomers will be able to estimate the masses of their black holes and host galaxies, offering fresh insights into how the earliest galactic giants grew. Building on these promising results, Matsuoka's team plans to use JWST to study roughly 30 more Subaru-selected targets. By mapping the environments and gas dynamics around these hidden quasars, researchers hope to unravel the origins of the Little Red Dots and refine our understanding of black-hole evolution at cosmic dawn.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
James Webb telescope uncovers new, 'hidden' type of black hole never seen before
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled a hidden population of supermassive black holes in the early universe that have never been seen before. This fascinating discovery could bridge the gap between classical quasars and the lesser-known "Little Red Dots" recently detected near the dawn of time, which may represent baby quasars. Classical quasars are active galactic nuclei (AGNs), galaxies dominated by actively-feeding black holes that are surrounded by complex dust environments. These AGNs are powered by large supermassive black holes and are extremely bright, which makes them easily detectable despite the surrounding dust. But in December 2022, scientists using JWST discovered a strange new type of AGN that they dubbed Little Red Dots — so named because they look like tiny, faint red spots in images. In contrast to classical quasars, these dots are smaller and dimmer, and they tend to be hidden by a lot of dust. The connection between the two AGN types remains a mystery, prompting astronomers to search for objects with intermediate properties. For more than a decade, astronomers have been looking out for distant quasars with the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, and have identified several galaxies within the first billion years after the Big Bang. While the light from these galaxies was not typical of a classical quasar, the intensity of light was too high to be due to star formation alone. They suspected that these galaxies harbored AGNs, which were somehow hidden in dust. But astronomers could not prove that they were indeed a different type of AGN due to technical limitations in telescopes at the time. Related: James Webb telescope discovers frozen water around a distant, sunlike star Now, using the more sensitive JWST to reanalyze those puzzling objects spotted by Subaru, an international team of astronomers has confirmed the presence of fast-moving gas under the influence of the strong gravity of supermassive black holes. This proved that the objects were AGNs after all — but a type never seen before. The findings were reported on May 7 in a study uploaded to the preprint database arXiv. Out of 13 distant galaxies examined in the new study, astronomers found that 9 displayed clear signs of a new population of active, supermassive black holes — and their patterns of light carry the unmistakable fingerprint of quasars hidden behind heavy dust. "We were surprised to find that obscured quasars are so abundant in the early universe," Yoshiki Matsuoka, associate professor at the Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution at Ehime University, and lead author of the study, told Live Science in an email. "This means that a significant fraction of active [supermassive black holes] have been overlooked in the past ground-based surveys." These newly discovered "hidden" quasars are as bright as classical quasars, but the level of dust obscuring their light resembles what astronomers have found in the case of Little Red Dots. Combining the ground-based data with JWST's detailed follow-up observations, researchers may have found the missing link between rare, bright quasars and the more common Little Red Dots seen by JWST. "These results are robust due to the high-quality of the light spectra of these objects, with clear signatures of gas powered by supermassive black holes," Jorryt Matthee, assistant professor and head of the research group Astrophysics of Galaxies at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, who was not involved in the new study, told Live Science. "While the number of new objects is high, it is not so unexpected," Matthee said. "The gap between the two known populations is very vast, and indeed, these new objects may belong to that missing population, but there's probably more." He adds that as astronomers find more of these hidden quasars and gather additional observations, the light they emit can be used to estimate the masses of stars and supermassive black holes in their host galaxies. This information will offer fresh insights into how these giants evolved in the early universe. Additionally, by comparing the number of hidden quasars discovered with what theoretical models predict, scientists can test whether these findings challenge the standard model of the universe. RELATED STORIES —'Baby quasars' spotted by James Webb telescope could transform our understanding of monster black holes —Astronomers find hundreds of 'hidden' black holes — and there may be billions or even trillions more —James Webb telescope spots rare 'missing link' galaxy at the dawn of time Meanwhile, the team led by Matsuoka plans to use JWST to observe 30 more objects from the same Subaru Telescope sample. They are hoping to uncover more hidden quasars, including Little Red Dots. First reported just a few years ago, Little Red Dots are still shrouded in mystery. They're poorly understood because they appear so faint and tiny in the sky. Matsuoka explained that by combining their results with other follow-up observations to study the surrounding gas and environments, the hidden quasars will provide a vital clue to unveiling the mysterious nature of Little Red Dots.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover giant 'bridge' in space that could finally solve a violent galactic mystery
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers thought the Perseus cluster was a massive-but-stable grouping of galaxies, until they found hints of a collision with another cluster — but no one had identified a cosmic interloper. Now, using a method called weak gravitational lensing, scientists think they've finally found the hidden intruder. The Perseus galaxy cluster is one of the most massive structures in the known universe. Bearing the name of its host constellation, it's a vast grouping of thousands of galaxies spread across 11.6 million light years, roughly 100 times the diameter of the Milky Way. At 250 million light-years from Earth, it's relatively nearby, though it's moving away at 3,335 miles per second (5,366 kilometers per second) due to the expansion of the universe. Astronomers call calm and stable galaxy clusters "relaxed," which means they haven't collided with other clusters in the recent history of the universe. For years, the Perseus cluster served as a prime example of a relaxed cluster. Steady flows of hot gas move between its component galaxies and lose heat as the gas sinks toward the cluster's center. There's also a faint glow of radio waves, called a radio "mini-halo," surrounding the central galaxy. Both are signs of a stable cosmic environment. Yet astronomers noticed that instead of being spherical like an undisturbed cluster should be, it was lopsided in an east-west direction, hinting that something was amiss. Related: Could the universe ever stop expanding? New theory proposes a cosmic 'off switch' Then, in 2012, astronomers spotted "cold fronts" in the cluster — huge, light-years-long regions that likely form when galaxy clusters collide. These fronts mark the boundary where hot gas from one cluster slams into cooler, denser gas from another. It was a strong clue that Perseus had been in a major cosmic crash. But if that was true, a question remained: Where was the other cluster that caused it? In the new research, astronomers based in the U.S. and South Korea think they have found the "smoking gun" in the case of the clandestine cosmic collision. In a new paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the researchers explain how they used a technique called weak gravitational lensing to spot the remains of a cluster that collided with the Perseus galaxy cluster long ago. Albert Einstein predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing over 100 years ago, whereby massive objects like galaxies would warp space-time, bending light rays and magnifying distant sources. The amount that an object deflects light gives astronomers a handle on its mass, and scientists have since discovered many incredible examples of gravitational lensing. In weak gravitational lensing, the image of background galaxies is only slightly distorted as it passes through the cluster on its way to us. Using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, the astronomers in the new study analyzed the distortion of light from galaxies far behind the Perseus cluster. "As we do not know the intrinsic shape of each galaxy, we cannot infer how much the image of the background galaxies are distorted," HyeongHan Kim, a graduate student at Yonsei University in South Korea and first author of the paper, told Live Science in an email. Yet, by viewing lots of background galaxies, the team worked out the average distortion and used a computer simulation to figure out the amount of mass in the foreground cluster. They also pinpointed where the mass had to be in order to produce the distortions they observed. The astronomers discovered a vast region of both visible and dark matter, called a subcluster halo, surrounding a smaller grouping of galaxies. This region was centered on galaxy NGC 1264 and embedded in the outskirts of the Perseus cluster. About 100 times the mass of the Milky Way, the subcluster is linked to the main galaxy cluster by a "mass bridge" that is about 1.4 million light-years long and has almost the same mass. The computer model suggested that this bridge is direct evidence of a gravitational interaction between the two clusters, rather than a chance alignment, and that it coincides with the lopsided shape of the cluster. The team's computer model also re-created the cold fronts discovered in 2012. "The result surprised me, because I considered Perseus to be a relaxed cluster," Kim said. Their simulation starts around 7.5 billion years ago, when the merging subcluster fell within the influence of the Perseus cluster. It took about 2 billion years for this subcluster to pass near the center of the main cluster for the first time. Then, slowed down and pulled back by gravity, it passed through again 3 billion years later. This cosmic dance repeated, and nearly 2 billion years later, the subcluster passed through a third time, roughly 750 million years ago. RELATED STORIES —Has the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a 'missing' supermassive black hole? (video) —There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused —Astronomers discover doomed planet shedding a Mount Everest's worth of material every orbit, leaving behind a comet-like tail The findings are significant because the region is a prime target for astronomers who are studying how galaxy clusters form and evolve. "The Perseus cluster, thanks to its proximity, has been extensively investigated," Kim said, "allowing us to discover and test many significant astrophysical processes." So even though this study focuses on a single cluster, it has wide implications for our understanding of the universe, he added. In addition, the results highlight the power of weak gravitational lensing, especially where traditional methods have failed to reveal the unseen universe. This approach not only helps to reveal hidden structures in the universe but also opens the door to discovering more galaxy-cluster mergers and to understanding how these massive systems take shape.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Bridge of Dark Matter Inside Huge Galaxy Cluster
The Perseus cluster is a vast swirl of thousands of galaxies, all bound together by gravity. Famed for its unbelievable size — containing the mass of some 600 trillion suns — it also has a reputation for being one of the few "relaxed" galaxy clusters out there: it shows no signs of having undergone a powerful but disruptive merger with another galaxy, which is how these clusters typically grow. In a word, Perseus looks settled down and pretty stable. But that may not be the case, according to an international team of astronomers. As detailed in a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the astronomers have found a "bridge" of dark matter that leads to the center of the cluster, which they believe is the remnant of a massive object slamming into the galactic swirl billions of years ago. If this is evidence of a major merger, it'd mean that Perseus isn't so "relaxed" after all. "This is the missing piece we've been looking for," said study coauthor James Jee, a physicist at University of California, Davis, in a statement about the work. "All the odd shapes and swirling gas observed in the Perseus cluster now make sense within the context of a major merger." Dark matter is the invisible substance believed to account for around 80 percent of all mass in the universe. While we can't interact with dark matter, its gravity appears to be responsible for governing the shapes of the cosmos's largest structures, pulling "normal" matter together around "clumps" of itself to form the galaxies that we see. To make the discovery, the astronomers sifted through data collected by the Subaru Telescope in Japan to look for signs of what's known as gravitational lensing. This occurs when the gravity of a massive object bends the light of more distant sources like a lens, magnifying our view of what lies behind it. By measuring how the light is being distorted, astronomers can infer traits about the object that's causing the lensing. This technique is known as weak gravitational lensing, and can only be used when there's a large number of galaxies that the distortion's incredibly subtle effects can be observed on. It's one of the primary ways that astronomers map the distribution of dark matter throughout the cosmos. Using this technique, the astronomers found a dark matter clump located inside the Perseus cluster around 1.4 million light years away from its center, weighing a colossal 200 trillion solar masses (the entire Milky Way, for reference, weighs about 1.5 trillion solar masses). But the clump clearly was a highly disruptive intruder, because it left behind an enormous dark matter "bridge" linking it to the center of the cluster. According to the astronomers, it's as good as a sign of a collision between the clump and the cluster as it gets. And from simulations they performed, this epic merger occurred some five billion years ago — the echoes of which still affect Perseus' structure to this day. "It took courage to challenge the prevailing consensus, but the simulation results from our collaborators and recent observations from the Euclid and XRISM space telescopes strongly support our findings," lead author HyeongHan Kim, an astronomer at Yonsei University in South Korea, said in the statement. More on dark matter: Scientists Say Dark Matter May Be Giving Off a Signal
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Bridge of Dark Matter Inside Huge Galaxy Cluster
The Perseus cluster is a vast swirl of thousands of galaxies, all bound together by gravity. Famed for its unbelievable size — containing the mass of some 600 trillion suns — it also has a reputation for being one of the few "relaxed" galaxy clusters out there: it shows no signs of having undergone a powerful but disruptive merger with another galaxy, which is how these clusters typically grow. In a word, Perseus looks settled down and pretty stable. But that may not be the case, according to an international team of astronomers. As detailed in a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the astronomers have found a "bridge" of dark matter that leads to the center of the cluster, which they believe is the remnant of a massive object slamming into the galactic swirl billions of years ago. If this is evidence of a major merger, it'd mean that Perseus isn't so "relaxed" after all. "This is the missing piece we've been looking for," said study coauthor James Jee, a physicist at University of California, Davis, in a statement about the work. "All the odd shapes and swirling gas observed in the Perseus cluster now make sense within the context of a major merger." Dark matter is the invisible substance believed to account for around 80 percent of all mass in the universe. While we can't interact with dark matter, its gravity appears to be responsible for governing the shapes of the cosmos's largest structures, pulling "normal" matter together around "clumps" of itself to form the galaxies that we see. To make the discovery, the astronomers sifted through data collected by the Subaru Telescope in Japan to look for signs of what's known as gravitational lensing. This occurs when the gravity of a massive object bends the light of more distant sources like a lens, magnifying our view of what lies behind it. By measuring how the light is being distorted, astronomers can infer traits about the object that's causing the lensing. This technique is known as weak gravitational lensing, and can only be used when there's a large number of galaxies that the distortion's incredibly subtle effects can be observed on. It's one of the primary ways that astronomers map the distribution of dark matter throughout the cosmos. Using this technique, the astronomers found a dark matter clump located inside the Perseus cluster around 1.4 million light years away from its center, weighing a colossal 200 trillion solar masses (the entire Milky Way, for reference, weighs about 1.5 trillion solar masses). But the clump clearly was a highly disruptive intruder, because it left behind an enormous dark matter "bridge" linking it to the center of the cluster. According to the astronomers, it's as good as a sign of a collision between the clump and the cluster as it gets. And from simulations they performed, this epic merger occurred some five billion years ago — the echoes of which still affect Perseus' structure to this day. "It took courage to challenge the prevailing consensus, but the simulation results from our collaborators and recent observations from the Euclid and XRISM space telescopes strongly support our findings," lead author HyeongHan Kim, an astronomer at Yonsei University in South Korea, said in the statement. More on dark matter: Scientists Say Dark Matter May Be Giving Off a Signal
