Indian Astronomers have recently detected one of the strongest flares from a feeding supermassive black hole or blazar known as BL Lacertae. This analysis of the flare from this blazar can help in tracing the mass of the black hole and the source of this emission. Blazar is one of the oldest astronomical objects.
Key Points
- This analysis can provide a lead to probe into mysteries and trace events at different stages of the evolution of the Universe.
- Blazars or feeding supermassive black holes emit jets of charged particles traveling nearly at the speed of light.
- They are one of the most luminous and energetic objects in the Universe.
- BL Lacertae blazar is among the 50 most prominent blazars and is 10 million light-years away. It can be observed with the help of a relatively small telescope.
- It was one of three to four blazars that were predicted to be experiencing flares by an international consortium of astronomers-the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT).
- The exceptionally high flare was detected on January 16, 2021, by a team of astronomers led by Alok Chandra Gupta from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES).
- The flare was detected with the help of Sampurnanand Telescope (ST) and 1.3m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescopes located in Nainital.
The data collected from the flare observed will open a door to the origin and evolution of the Universe and will be helpful in the calculation of the black hole mass, size of emission region, and mechanism of the emission from one of the oldest astronomical objects known.
