NASA Found Creepy Galaxy Eaters in Space

Bright Side

Did you know NASA found something super creepy in space? They discovered “galaxy eaters,” also known as supermassive black holes, that gobble up entire galaxies! These black holes are so strong that not even light can escape their pull, which makes them practically invisible. What's really wild is how they can grow by devouring stars, gas, and everything around them. Scientists are studying them to understand more about the mysteries of the universe. It's pretty mind-blowing stuff, so if you're curious about the creepiest things in space, you definitely want to check this out!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00These eerie objects are called quasars. They're some of the brightest and most powerful objects

00:05in the Universe. They lurk in the depths of space, consuming entire galaxies with their

00:10insatiable hunger. But what are quasars, where do they come from, and most importantly, are

00:17they dangerous to us?

00:20Picture a supermassive black hole. A cosmic monster so massive that it can swallow entire

00:26stars and bend the fabric of time. Usually, there's such a black hole in the center of

00:32every galaxy. That includes our own Milky Way galaxy. Ours is named Sagittarius A-star.

00:39Sounds like the name of a hipster coffee shop, but in reality, it's a terrifying celestial

00:44body which is 4 million times heavier than our Sun. You can even see it online. For the

00:49first time, we took a photo of this black hole in May 2022. Ah, but don't worry, even

00:55though it's supermassive, it's not going to swallow us up anytime soon. This black

01:00hole is relatively small, and it's too tiny to eat an entire galaxy. So it's more like

01:06a cosmic vacuum cleaner that sucks up stars or gas that gets too close.

01:11But there are black holes in the centers of galaxies that are way heavier and more dangerous

01:16than ours. They can weigh millions or even billions of times more than our own Sun. Now,

01:23imagine one of these monsters. Usually, they're surrounded by a swirling, glowing disk of

01:27gas and dust, like water swirling down a drain. It's called an accretion disk, and it's where

01:33the magic of quasars happens. As material from the accretion disk falls toward the center,

01:39it heats up to millions of degrees, releasing vast amounts of energy in the form of radiation.

01:45And this radiation is what we observe as a quasar. So, basically, the more material a

01:50black hole can consume from its surroundings, the brighter its quasar will be. This is what

01:56makes them so bright and powerful, shining like beacons in the night sky.

02:02And just imagine, some black holes can actually make entire galaxies their meal. Now, combine

02:07their ravenous appetite with some intense radiation, and you'll get a truly awe-inspiring

02:13display of cosmic power. No wonder we can see them, even though they're some of the

02:17most distant objects in the universe. Quasars were discovered in the late 1950s by accident.

02:24Astronomers were just chilling and looking at the sky, when suddenly, they stumbled upon

02:28something strange – radio signals that had no visible source. By 1960, hundreds of these

02:34strange objects had been found. Astronomers named them quasars, short for quasi-stellar

02:41radio source. These objects were small and far away, but their energy output was immense

02:47and difficult to explain. Some thought that these were new types of stars. Others even

02:52proposed wild things, like quasars being made of antimatter, or being the end of a wormhole.

02:59But all these theories were discarded. A scientist named Martin Schmitt was the first one to

03:03get to the truth. However, many astronomers didn't believe him. Schmitt had to do a lot

03:08of extra work and gather lots of evidence to prove his theory. And finally, he prevailed.

03:14And that's how we discovered quasars. Don't you love the scientific method? And since

03:20then, astronomers have been captivated by these objects. Why? Because they have some

03:24pretty eerie qualities. You could call them quasi-quasars. For example, they kinda defy

03:31the laws of physics. They emit jets of particles that travel at speeds close to the speed of

03:37light. These particles move so fast that they can even distort the very fabric of space

03:42and time. But sometimes, they also help us confirm the laws of physics. Imagine driving

03:48a car. As you drive, objects in the rear window start to appear smaller and smaller until

03:54they disappear from view entirely. That's exactly what happens with quasars. Except they're

04:00moving away from us at incredibly fast speeds, up to 90% the speed of light. Wonder why they're

04:06trying so hard to sprint away from us. But in any case, this helps us confirm that the

04:11universe does expand for real. Another eerie thing about quasars is that

04:16they're incredibly old. Some even date back to the time when galaxies were forming or

04:22to the birth of our universe. Additionally, quasars are some of the most distant objects

04:27that we can observe in the universe. Some of them are located billions of light years

04:31away from us. This means that when we observe a quasar, we're actually seeing light that

04:37was emitted billions of years ago, when the Earth was much younger and different than

04:41it is today. And that's why they work like cosmic time capsules. Studying them gives

04:47us a glimpse into the distant past. You see, galaxies are like giant cities, with

04:52stars and planets serving as the inhabitants. But just like cities evolve over time, galaxies

04:58also undergo changes as they age. And that's where quasars come in. They're like the urban

05:03planners of the universe. They shape the galaxies through their powerful gravitational

05:08influence. By eating galaxies and releasing intense radiation, they can trigger star formation

05:15and shape the structure of the galaxy itself. It's like the cosmic equivalent of a master

05:20chef or a leaf blower, you pick. For example, let's take galaxy mergers. Here

05:26are two massive entities coming together, swirling and spinning around each other. As

05:31they get closer and closer, their gravitational pull becomes stronger, and they start to merge

05:37into a new, bigger galaxy. It's a beautiful and dramatic process, one that can take millions

05:42of years to complete. But all this doesn't go without consequences.

05:47The gas and dust within the galaxies collide, creating massive shockwaves that trigger the

05:52birth of new stars and even supermassive black holes. And this is where the quasars come

05:58into play. Some quasars may be born during these galactic get-togethers. And thanks to

06:04this, they help us study the effects of this process and the evolution of galaxies over

06:09time. But it's not all serious science and no fun.

06:13For example, how about gravitational lensing? Now that's something straight out of a sci-fi

06:18movie. It happens when the gravity of a massive object, like a quasar, bends the path of light

06:25from a more distant object, like a galaxy, behind it. It's like having a really big

06:30magnifying glass in space. When you combine a quasar with gravitational lensing, you get

06:36some seriously awesome cosmic eye candy. The result is kinda like a funhouse mirror, where

06:42objects appear warped and twisted in strange and mesmerizing ways.

06:47Gravitational lensing isn't just for show. It's also a powerful tool for astronomers

06:51to study the distribution of dark matter and the structure of the universe. And that's

06:56not all. Some scientists have proposed that quasars could help us build the map of the

07:02universe. They can work like giant neon road signs. Turn left at the quasar and you'll

07:07reach your destination. They're like lighthouses that help us navigate through space. By analyzing

07:13the light from different quasars, astronomers can determine the distances between them and

07:18create a 3D map of the universe. And the best part? Quasars are located throughout

07:24the entire universe. That's why this cosmic map can give us a comprehensive view of the

07:29universe on a scale that was previously unimaginable. Who knew that a giant galaxy eater could be

07:35so useful? There's still a lot we don't know about these mysterious objects.

07:40In 2007, a team of astronomers made an astonishing discovery. The first true binary quasar. Basically,

07:48this means two huge quasars spiraling around each other. What's more, they were hiding

07:53in plain sight. For years, scientists had known about this radio source, but had never

07:59realized that it actually comes from one lovely couple. The astronomers also estimated that

08:04this pair may have a mass of about 100 billion suns. They're super distant, though, at an

08:10astounding 12 billion light-years away from our blue planet. Overall, quasars are a fascinating

08:17and complex phenomenon that continues to baffle and intrigue scientists. They may be

08:22cosmic galaxy eaters, but they're also playing a critical role in the formation and evolution

08:27of the universe. And who knows, maybe one day they'll become one of the keys to unlocking

08:33the mysteries of our universe. Oh, you crazy quasars!

08:37That's it for today! So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like

08:42and share it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and

08:46stay on the Bright Side!

Category

Transcript

Recommended