Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have identified the biggest quasar outflow, a type of high energy explosion surrounding a massive black hole, to date. Belonging to a quasar known as ‘SDSS J1106+1939’, the explosion recorded by ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile is the most powerful eruption to ever be observed from a quasar. Quasars are among the most luminous and powerful objects known in the universe. They are found at the centre of some distant galaxies, surrounding supermassive black holes. While black holes are best known for sucking light in, most quasars work by accelerating the material around them and ejecting it at high speeds. Burning brighter than many stars, they throw out powerful amounts of ‘red-shifted’ electromagnetic energy. "We have discovered the most energetic quasar outflow known to date," said Nahum Arav of Virginia Tech University who led the project at ESO. Read more: http://www.tgdaily.com/space-features/67735-biggest-quasar-explosion-recorded
