Scientists observe record-breaking flare from distant supermassive black hole
California: Scientists have observed the brightest known flare emitted from a supermassive black hole. According to researcher it is a burst that shone with the intensity of nearly 10 trillion suns. Such an event was first recorded in 2018. This new occurrence is helping astronomers understand the behavior and surroundings of black holes in the early universe.
A camera at the Palomar Observatory in California detected the flare. It grew to peak brightness over three months. It is gradually fading since then. Researchers believe a big star drifting too close to the black hole and being torn apart caused the burst.
“At first, we did not really believe the numbers about the energy,” said study author Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology, which operates the observatory.
Nature Astronomy published the details of the flare on Tuesday. It informed that the black hole responsible for the flare is located about 10 billion light years away. It is the most distant event of its kind ever recorded. The universe was still relatively young at the time the flare is believed to have occurred.
Scientists say these events provide clues about the gas, stars and magnetic activity surrounding these black holes. According to Joseph Michail of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was not part of the study, such findings help researchers “probe the interaction of supermassive black holes with their environments early in the universe.”
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Red sandalwood worth Rs 1.75 cr seized, five held
Bengaluru (PTI): Red sandalwood worth Rs 1.75 crore have been seized by the city police, by cracking two cases of an inter-state smuggling operation, police said.
Five people have been arrested in this connection, they added.
Police intercepted the vehicles carrying the red sandalwood in Hulimavu police station and R T Nagar police station limits on their way from Andhra Pradesh, based on a tip-off.
The total worth of seized logs is Rs 1.75 crore, city police chief Seemanth Kumar Singh told reporters here on Thursday.
In both cases, the consignments were coming from Andhra Pradesh. While in one case it was going to Tamil Nadu, in the other, the destination was Bengaluru.
Four vehicles in total have been seized.
