AI Insight
Researchers from York University have detected the fastest ultraviolet quasar wind ever observed, traveling at approximately 30% of the speed of light near a supermassive black hole. The wind is generated by the accretion disk of matter surrounding the black hole, representing an extreme example of material outflow in these cosmic systems.
Why it matters
This discovery helps scientists better understand how supermassive black holes influence their surrounding galaxies through powerful winds that can regulate star formation and galactic evolution. The unprecedented velocity measurement provides crucial data for models of black hole feedback mechanisms in the universe.
A team led by York University researchers has discovered the fastest wind near a supermassive black hole ever found at ultraviolet wavelengths, driven by the disk of matter (quasar) surrounding the black hole.
Source: Record ultraviolet quasar wind reaches 30% light speed near supermassive black hole