Chandra Exposes Distant Quasar¿s X-Ray Jet

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Image: NASA/CXC/A. SIEMIGINOWSKA (CfA) AND J. BECHTOLD (University of Arizona )

Interesting discoveries are often accidental, as new findings from the Chandra X-ray Observatory illustrate. While using x-ray radiation from a distant quasar to study an intervening galaxy, astronomers stumbled upon an exciting characteristic of the quasar itself: a large jet at least a million light-years long shoots out from its center, which houses a supermassive black hole. A report detailing these findings will appear in the May 10 edition of the Astrophysical Journal.

The researchers, led by Anna Siemiginowska of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, focused on radiation from quasar PKS 1127-145. According to the team, a series of explosive events near the black hole produced the jet some 10 billion years ago. The jet¿s length and bumpy, inconsistent structure suggest a sustained period of activity punctuated by extreme events near the black hole. The x-rays that make the jet visible to Chandra, Siemiginowska explains, were generated when microwave radiation from the early universe collided with the jet¿s powerful magnetic fields and high-energy beam of particles.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The investigators originally set out to use the quasar as a kind of galactic x-ray machine. On their way to the earth, x-rays from the quasar pass through a galaxy about four billion light-years away. Oxygen and other elements in the interstellar clouds of the galaxy absorb some of these x-rays, dimming them. By measuring the spectrum of the received x-rays, the group was able to estimate the oxygen content of the galaxy. Looking forward, Siemiginowska and her colleagues plan to continue focusing on that line of inquiry, but they note that the appearance of the jet proved an intriguing bonus.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American