[Epoch Times, February 22, 2022]Scientists have discovered a galaxy 16.3 million light-years long, the largest galaxy ever seen, equivalent to 100 times the length of the Milky Way multiple times.
A research team of multinational scientists exploits the European low frequencyradio telescope(LOFAR) captured an image of the galaxy in radio waves.the center of this galaxysuper black holeSo active that it spews two jets, also known as plasma plumes, into space, a process that emits intense radio waves.Scientists call such galaxiesradio galaxy。
For comparison, the Milky Way is about 106,000 light-years long, which is 154 times the length of the Milky Way.its centersuper black holeIts mass is about 400 million times that of the sun.
This galaxy is located 3 billion light-years from Earth. Even from this distance, the galaxy appears to be the size of the moon in the sky as seen from Earth—suggesting that the galaxy is quite large. Of course, this refers to images in the radio signal band. The reason scientists are only now discovering this galaxy is because these plumes are relatively weak. The research team reprocessed some photos in the radio signal band to make some structures in space more obvious, and scientists discovered this huge galaxy.
The researchers named it Alcyoneus. This is the son of the Greek god Ouranos, a god of giants. He competes with other major gods, such as Heracles, for power on the side of the universe. On the famous Pergamon-Altar in the Berlin Museum, there is a statue of Alcuoneus.
The study said that the plumes ejected from Arcuonius to both ends can reveal many characteristics of the structure of the cosmic web. Scientists now find that from a macro perspective, the universe is like a huge cosmic web with intricate filament structures. Galaxies and groups of galaxies located inside these threads are easier to observe, but the medium between galaxies is more difficult to observe. The researchers found that perhaps analyzing the signal from Alcuoneus could find some clues about the interstellar medium.
Like the Milky Way, Alcuoneus is located in one of the cosmic filament structures, and its jets are resisted by the interstellar medium. Gradually, this changes the direction and shape of the plume.Scientists have speculated many years ago thatradio galaxyThe plume can infer some properties of the cosmic filament structure, and Alcuonius provided researchers with the first favorable observational demonstration. Because of its large range, the effects of interacting with the intergalactic medium are also evident.
In addition, scientists believe that black holes may be the main source of warm energy for the cosmic web. Scientists believe that the cosmic web maintains its form as a result of gravitational forces counteracting the pressure from the filaments and the medium within the cluster of galaxies. It is evident in observations over the past two decades that plumes ejected from galaxies play an important role in keeping the cosmic web warm. The researchers said that the ability of black holes to regulate the temperature of the cosmic web is as miraculous as that an object the size of a small marble on the earth can regulate the temperature of the entire earth.
The research was published on the preprint network arXiv on February 11 and has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. ◇
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei#