Largest Quasar Ever Discovered Burns 100 Times Brighter Than Entire Milky Way - Polidicks

[quote]Astronomers have found a galaxy whose super-luminous nucleus--called a quasar--is burning 100 times as much energy as the entire Milky Way galaxy. Though theory has long predicted that quasars this powerful should exist, the newly-discovered object, known as SDSS J1106+1939, is by far the most energetic ever observed. The quasar is powered by a supermassive black hole that lies at its center. Scientists made the discovery using the X-shooter spectrograph instrument attached to ESO's Very Large Telescope. The spectrograph split light coming from the quasar into its component wavelengths, allowing astronomers to observe the movement of material close to the quasar. The team calculated that the quasar is spewing an annual 400 suns worth of gas and dust, at a velocity of nearly 5000 miles per second. Giant outflows like this one may be able to answer some big cosmic mysteries, like how the black hole at the center of each galaxy affects its size, and why there are so few big galaxies in the Universe. [img]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/quasar.png[/img][/quote] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-11/scientists-discover-biggest-quasar-ever-near-supermassive-black-hole[/url]

That's pretty bright.

Aliens have to wear sunglasses when passing by.

That's awesome. Too bad I probably won't see space traveling in such a scale happen. Otherwise I'd explore the shit out of this beauty.

[QUOTE=KILLTHIS;38637870]That's awesome. Too bad I probably won't see space traveling in such a scale happen. Otherwise I'd explore the shit out of this beauty.[/QUOTE] I don't think unless you're rich, you will never get to be on another planet, or space colony on another planet. In our lifetimes anyway. Maybe if we weren't busy killing each other over religions.

[QUOTE=SatansSin;38637891]I don't think unless you're rich, you will never get to be on another planet, or space colony on another planet. In our lifetimes anyway. Maybe if we weren't busy killing each other over religions.[/QUOTE] Considering how quickly space travel is moving at the minute, with missions announced by the likes of China and private companies interested in interplanetary travel, I can very much see the common man crossing space in our life time. If you're able to monetize that sort of tourism, or job opportunity on mass, then companies will do it. I'm also pretty certain most wars are over territory and resources rather than religion. [b]Edit:[/b] Examples: [url]http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57554583-76/elon-musks-plan-for-life-on-mars/[/url] [url]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/21/china_moon_landing_2017_moonbase/[/url]

[QUOTE=SatansSin;38637891]I don't think unless you're rich, you will never get to be on another planet, or space colony on another planet. In our lifetimes anyway. Maybe if we weren't busy killing each other over religions.[/QUOTE] Religion isn't what's stopping planetary exploration, it's the apathy of the general public of most/all nations thinking it's a frivolous waste of spending.

[QUOTE=KILLTHIS;38637870]That's awesome. Too bad I probably won't see space traveling in such a scale happen. Otherwise I'd explore the shit out of this beauty.[/QUOTE] Pretty sure it doesn't exist any more, it's probably billions of light years away.

Black holes are fucking scary.

[QUOTE=Kidd;38637784]Aliens have to wear sunglasses when passing by.[/QUOTE] quasarglasses

[QUOTE=VikCreamCake;38638570]Black holes are fucking scary.[/QUOTE] Not as scary as Magnetars, stars that are so magnetic that they can actually exploit the slight changes in temporary dipoles in your body to strip the water and materials from inside you before the gravity of the star could harm you. They would literally rip the metals and compounds from your body, including shredding bone and the like apart before you would even notice the gravity. Space man, that shit is fucking scary. [quote]At a distance halfway to the moon, a magnetar could strip information from the magnetic stripes of all credit cards on Earth.[7] As of 2010, they are the most magnetic objects ever detected in the universe.[4][8][/quote] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar[/url]

Luckily, detecting a magnetar at a distance is easy enough if we were ever to go space-trekking. Detecting a black hole is more difficult, especially small ones. Small black holes are the scariest :S

[QUOTE=KILLTHIS;38637870]That's awesome. Too bad I probably won't see space traveling in such a scale happen. Otherwise I'd explore the shit out of this beauty.[/QUOTE] It'd murder the shit out of you. 400 suns worth of X-Rays and gamma radiation would make it a tanning holiday, to put it mildly.

[QUOTE=BrainDeath;38639079]It'd murder the shit out of you. 400 suns worth of X-Rays and gamma radiation would make it a tanning holiday, to put it mildly.[/QUOTE] I think it's rather sun-masses of fuel (though that is an immensely high number) than strength of light. That may have been what you meant, but it's not totally clear to me.

[QUOTE=Pierrewithahat;38638638]Not as scary as Magnetars, stars that are so magnetic that they can actually exploit the slight changes in temporary dipoles in your body to strip the water and materials from inside you before the gravity of the star could harm you. They would literally rip the metals and compounds from your body, including shredding bone and the like apart before you would even notice the gravity. Space man, that shit is fucking scary. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar[/url][/QUOTE] By temporary dipoles do you mean water, because it's a polar molecule and not really temporary. Or did you mean London dispersion forces?

So what happens when the quasar stops burning?

What if there's a giant swarm of intergalactic moths that use this as a beacon

[QUOTE=Dr.C;38647496]So what happens when the quasar stops burning?[/QUOTE] It stops. You answered your own question there. [editline]29th November 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=salmonmarine;38647523]What if there's a giant swarm of intergalactic moths that use this as a beacon[/QUOTE] Seems reasonable.

[QUOTE=Dr.C;38647496]So what happens when the quasar stops burning?[/QUOTE] It's just a black hole then.

[QUOTE=Falubii;38647463]By temporary dipoles do you mean water, because it's a polar molecule and not really temporary. Or did you mean London dispersion forces?[/QUOTE] Nah, water's diamagnetic and would certainly be affected by the field, but there are many other particles that give rise to temporary dipoles, and charged particles such as ions in your body that'd contribute to the ripping and tearing of your guts. To be fair though, water would play the largest role.

[QUOTE=Pierrewithahat;38638638]Not as scary as Magnetars, stars that are so magnetic that they can actually exploit the slight changes in temporary dipoles in your body to strip the water and materials from inside you before the gravity of the star could harm you. They would literally rip the metals and compounds from your body, including shredding bone and the like apart before you would even notice the gravity. Space man, that shit is fucking scary. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar[/url][/QUOTE] What about the Big Rip or the Big Freeze or Heat Death Theory ( 100 Bill Years from now )

[QUOTE=Pierrewithahat;38637939]Religion isn't what's stopping planetary exploration, it's the apathy of the general public of most/all nations thinking it's a frivolous waste of spending.[/QUOTE] of which religion is partly tied into, the general public.

[QUOTE=Falcqn;38647636]Nah, water's diamagnetic and would certainly be affected by the field, but there are many other particles that give rise to temporary dipoles, and charged particles such as ions in your body that'd contribute to the ripping and tearing of your guts. To be fair though, water would play the largest role.[/QUOTE] I'm saying it's not proper to call water "temporarily" polar. It's polar all the time. London dispersion forces are temporary though. [editline]29th November 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=theevilldeadII;38647651]What about the Big Rip or Big Freeze[/QUOTE] That's not scary, you'll be long dead anyway.

Things like this make me wonder how they would sound like if space wasn't a vacuum.

[QUOTE=Amez;38647697]Things like this make me wonder how they would sound like if space wasn't a vacuum.[/QUOTE] How would blue sound if it wasn't in a vacuum? Or violet, or microwave?

[QUOTE=Amez;38647697]Things like this make me wonder how they would sound like if space wasn't a vacuum.[/QUOTE] youd propably go deaf or hear low rumbling, like a storm, from a distance

but imagine how much shit we haven't discovered. treasures beyond our wildest dreams and stuff scarier then the bible.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;38639265]I think it's rather sun-masses of fuel (though that is an immensely high number) than strength of light. That may have been what you meant, but it's not totally clear to me.[/QUOTE] Radiation.

[QUOTE=BrainDeath;38639079]It'd murder the shit out of you. 400 suns worth of X-Rays and gamma radiation would make it a tanning holiday, to put it mildly.[/QUOTE] It's like a nuclear bomb: Take a look, you only see it once.

Future's so bright we gotta wear shades.