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Astronomers have discovered a bright new quasar, CFHQS J142952+54 471, which likely played a major role in ending the "cosmic dark ages" more than 13 billion years ago. The quasar is located 13 billion light-years from Earth, meaning its light has traveled to us for almost the entire age of the universe. Its black hole has a mass of about 200 million Suns, and its powerful radiation could have helped make the universe transparent to light.
After the Big Bang, the universe went through a period known as the “cosmic dark ages,” when light could not travel freely. It was only during the era of reionization, when ultraviolet radiation ionized hydrogen, that space became transparent. It was previously thought that the first stars initiated this process, but new research suggests that quasars and their intense radiation also played a significant role.
When supermassive black holes actively consume matter, they create powerful accretion disks that emit enormous amounts of energy. This radiation could have been one of the key driving forces of reionization, influencing the development of the early Universe. Studying quasars of this type helps to understand the mechanisms of formation of the first structures in space.
Scientists are continuing their research to learn more about the rapid growth of supermassive black holes in the early Universe. This discovery could change our understanding of how the first galaxies formed and what processes influenced the early evolution of the cosmos.
Astronomers have discovered a bright new quasar, CFHQS J142952+54 471, which likely played a major role in ending the "cosmic dark ages" more than 13 billion years ago. The quasar is located 13 billion light-years from Earth, meaning its light has traveled to us for almost the entire age of the universe. Its black hole has a mass of about 200 million Suns, and its powerful radiation could have helped make the universe transparent to light.
After the Big Bang, the universe went through a period known as the “cosmic dark ages,” when light could not travel freely. It was only during the era of reionization, when ultraviolet radiation ionized hydrogen, that space became transparent. It was previously thought that the first stars initiated this process, but new research suggests that quasars and their intense radiation also played a significant role.
When supermassive black holes actively consume matter, they create powerful accretion disks that emit enormous amounts of energy. This radiation could have been one of the key driving forces of reionization, influencing the development of the early Universe. Studying quasars of this type helps to understand the mechanisms of formation of the first structures in space.
Scientists are continuing their research to learn more about the rapid growth of supermassive black holes in the early Universe. This discovery could change our understanding of how the first galaxies formed and what processes influenced the early evolution of the cosmos.
