Astronomers Slack Jawed As Galaxies Battle In A Violent Cosmic Joust
Astronomers have for the first time observed a violent cosmic collision dubbed the "cosmic joust." This dramatic encounter involving two galaxies 11 billion light years away, reveals how one galaxy effectively "spears" its opponent with a beam of radiation from a powerful quasar, severely hindering the latter's ability to birth new stars. This finding and the study behind it is a result of observations from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
In a study published recently in Nature, researchers were able to report on the intricate details of this celestial skirmish, due largely in part to a combination of observations from the ESO's VLT and ALMA. Imagine two colossal cosmic knights, each charging at speeds of 500 kilometers per second, delivering glancing blows before retreating to prepare for another round. This is the vivid imagery conjured by Pasquier Noterdaeme, co-lead of the study and a researcher at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris.
Yet, this isn't a fair fight. One galaxy possesses a formidable weapon: a quasar. Quasars are the exceptionally luminous cores of some distant galaxies, fueled by supermassive black holes that unleash massive amounts of radiation. To witness such events, astronomers must peer back in time. The light from this "cosmic joust" has journeyed over 11 billion years to reach us, meaning we are observing it as it was when the Universe was merely 18% of its current age.
These observations confirm that the quasar's intense radiation tears through the gas and dust clouds within the targeted galaxy, leaving behind only the most minute and dense regions. These remnants are likely too small to support star formation, effectively stripping the affected galaxy of its ability to form new stars. Moreover, the team also surmises that these collisions funnel vast quantities of gas towards the supermassive black hole of the quasar, thus giving more energy for renewed "attacks."
Looking ahead, the scientific community anticipates that even larger and more potent telescopes, such as ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, have the potential to unlock deeper understandings of these collisions. Noterdaeme says that the ESO "will certainly allow us to push forward a deeper study of this, and other systems, to better understand the evolution of quasars and their effect on host and nearby galaxies.”
These observations confirm that the quasar's intense radiation tears through the gas and dust clouds within the targeted galaxy, leaving behind only the most minute and dense regions. These remnants are likely too small to support star formation, effectively stripping the affected galaxy of its ability to form new stars. Moreover, the team also surmises that these collisions funnel vast quantities of gas towards the supermassive black hole of the quasar, thus giving more energy for renewed "attacks."
Looking ahead, the scientific community anticipates that even larger and more potent telescopes, such as ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, have the potential to unlock deeper understandings of these collisions. Noterdaeme says that the ESO "will certainly allow us to push forward a deeper study of this, and other systems, to better understand the evolution of quasars and their effect on host and nearby galaxies.”
