Supermassive black holes are some of the most extreme phenomena in the universe, usually located at the center of their host galaxies. However, it also happens that the holes are pushed out of the “house” and they begin a lonely journey through the vast expanses of deep space.

Investigating a strange trail of gas cloud surrounding a dwarf galaxy, a group of international scientists found a potential candidate for the title of “runaway supermassive black hole”. Light from the giant astronomical object traveled more than 7.5 billion years to reach Earth, and the body probably moved at a speed of 1,600 km/s.

In a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists offer their own explanation for how the interaction of a “runaway supermassive black hole” with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) could leave behind a trail of gas and young stars. The CGM is a formation of hot plasma (100,000 to 10,000,000 degrees Kelvin) believed to exist in intergalactic space and to comprise 40-50% of all baryonic “normal matter” in the present Universe.

Supermassive black holes tend to be at the center of almost every large galaxy, such as our Milky Way, where they feed on dust and energy. However, there are situations when they are forced to leave their home.

In the paper, the researchers suggest that when two galaxies merge, the black holes at their centers form a system with the two outermost objects orbiting the center of gravity of the new formation, probably for billions of years. If a third supermassive black hole enters the system, such an interaction leads to a “slingshot effect” – when one of the cores of the hole is ejected into outer space. But “expulsion” can also happen without the participation of the third supermassive black hole, since the merger of galaxies can be so violent and extreme that one of the cores of two supermassive astrophysical objects can “escape”.

This is just one of the potential explanations for the trail of gas and new stars captured by the Hubble telescope. However, based on some previous research, scientists suggest that a “runaway supermassive black hole” is the best theory so far for the observed phenomenon.

The Hubble telescope has shown how a supermassive black hole devours a small star – a unique event that happens several times every 100,000 years.

Source: Techspot