An international team has discovered an exceptionally long-lasting radio outburst from the supermassive black hole at the centre of the nearby galaxy SDSS J110546.07+145202.4, located about 1.8 billion light-years from Earth.
The galaxy has remained exceptionally bright at radio wavelengths for more than eight years, with its radio emission increasing by more than a factor of 20. Observations with several radio facilities, including the 100-metre Effelsberg radio telescope, together with space-based observatories, reveal a rapidly growing, relatively low-mass black hole and provide evidence for the formation of a powerful jet.
The source exhibits properties expected for rapidly growing black holes in the early Universe. Its relative proximity therefore provides a unique opportunity to study the physical processes involved in black-hole growth and jet formation in much greater detail. The results are published in The Astrophysical Journal (DOI). Read the MPIfR press release.
Image Credit: MPIfR – Illustration of the black hole at the centre of the galaxy SDSS J110546.07+145202.4. The luminous disk of matter surrounds the event horizon, while a concentrated jet of particles and radiation is ejected into space. This newly launched jet is revealed by intense radio radiation that has been emanating from the centre of the galaxy for several years. / Image generated with AI.