{"id":147654,"date":"2025-06-07T15:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T15:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/astronomers-discover-an-astonishing-cosmic-duel-11-billion-light-years-away-teknomers\/"},"modified":"2025-06-07T15:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T15:21:15","slug":"astronomers-discover-an-astonishing-cosmic-duel-11-billion-light-years-away-teknomers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/astronomers-discover-an-astonishing-cosmic-duel-11-billion-light-years-away-teknomers\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers discover an astonishing “cosmic duel” 11 billion light-years away! Teknomers."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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More than 11 billion light-years away, a spectacular scene unfolds in the vastness of the universe<\/a>: two galaxies are engaged in a high-speed collision, a true cosmic joust that offers a unique insight into the extreme phenomena governing galaxy formation and evolution. Using the most powerful instruments installed in Chile, astronomers have managed to observe this galactic battle in detail, revealing how one of the protagonists, a quasar, sculpts and transforms the other through its intense energy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is a Quasar?<\/h2>\n

To understand the significance of this discovery reported in Nature<\/a>, one must first grasp what a quasar is. The term is short for \u201cquasi-stellar radio source.\u201d These are incredibly luminous objects powered by supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies. These black holes release colossal energy in the form of intense radiation by consuming vast amounts of matter, sometimes powerful enough to overwhelm the light from their host galaxy.<\/p>\n

In the observed cosmic joust, one galaxy hosts a particularly active quasar, while the other galaxy is a passive victim of this radiation.<\/p>\n

A Spectacular Collision in the Distant Universe<\/h2>\n

Astronomers utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an impressive array of 66 dish antennas located high in the Chilean Andes, were able to detect the second galaxy\u2014usually invisible due to the glare produced by the quasar. This unique capability allowed them to identify a companion galaxy rapidly moving toward the quasar-hosting galaxy at a staggering speed of about 2 million kilometers per hour.<\/p>\n

This speed and proximity indicate that the two galaxies are in the midst of a merging process, a common event in the universe. However, the precise effects of such mergers on star formation and black hole activity remain an active subject of study.<\/p>\n

The Quasar’s Impact on the Neighboring Galaxy<\/h2>\n

By combining ALMA observations with data from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) equipped with the X-shooter instrument, researchers analyzed the light from the quasar filtered through the neighboring galaxy. They discovered an impressive phenomenon: the intense radiation of the quasar obliterates the gas present in the companion galaxy, dispersing the fuel necessary for new star formation.<\/p>\n

As a result, the galaxy experiences a significant suppression of its star-formation capabilities, transformed by this energy into a hostile and depleted environment. Simultaneously, this same radiation promotes the feeding of material into the quasar’s central black hole, further feeding this cosmic engine and perpetuating the joust’s power.<\/p>\n

This wide-field view shows the region of the sky surrounding two interacting galaxies, nicknamed the “cosmic joust,” where one pierces another with intense radiation. The galaxies appear as a tiny white dot at the center of the image. Image credit: DESI Legacy Survey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Is This Discovery Important?<\/h2>\n

This observation provides rare and direct evidence of the complex interactions between quasars and their environment, underscoring the crucial role these phenomena play in galactic dynamics. While it has been known for some time that quasars can influence star formation, witnessing this influence in action during a precise collision dated to over 11 billion light-years is a significant breakthrough.<\/p>\n

It helps to understand how, in the young universe, galaxy mergers could fuel the rapid growth of supermassive black holes while inhibiting the growth of the galaxies themselves. This process likely contributed to shaping the diversity of galaxies observed today.<\/p>\n

A Glimpse into Cosmic Evolution<\/h2>\n

Beyond merely describing a galactic clash, this study reveals a fundamental mechanism of cosmic evolution: how concentrated energy around supermassive black holes modulates matter and energy in their vicinity, influencing the birth and death of stars.<\/p>\n

During a time when the universe was still young, these violent interactions dictated the life cycles of galaxies, and their understanding allows astronomers to reconstruct the complex history of cosmic structure formation.<\/p>\n

In conclusion<\/strong>, this “cosmic joust” observed 11 billion light-years away is much more than a mere confrontation: it serves as a fascinating window into the titanic forces that shape our universe. As observational technologies refine, we will continue to decode these celestial ballets, telling the very story of matter and light in the cosmos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 11 billion light-years away, a spectacular scene unfolds in the vastness of the universe: two galaxies are engaged in a high-speed collision, a true cosmic joust that offers a unique insight into the extreme phenomena governing galaxy formation and evolution. Using the most powerful instruments installed in Chile, astronomers have managed to observe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}