Scientists were able to record the transformation of a quasar into a blazar for the first time - The Hulk in the Galaxy World began shooting relativistic jets towards Earth

Relativistic jets from one of the galaxies have changed motion and hurtled towards Earth. Scientists were able to record such an event for the first time.

Here's What We Know

At the centre of almost every galaxy is a supermassive black hole. It absorbs matter and produces radiation. This process takes place in a region called a quasar. Sometimes a black hole will emit relativistic jets, whose speed is close to the speed of light (299,792,458 m/s).

When the jets head towards the Earth, the object's luminosity to observers increases dramatically. Such objects are called blazars. Recently, an international team of astronomers was able to record the first time that the nucleus of the galaxy PBC J2333.9-2343 has changed from a quasar to a blazar.

Scientists report that the direction of the relativistic jet has changed by 90 degrees. It is now pointing towards our planet. The galaxy PBC J2333.9-2343 is nearly 657 million light years away. Its nucleus was originally classified as a quasar because the jets were not directed at the Earth.

PBC J2333.9-2343 is a large galaxy, but not the largest in existence. It's 4 million light years in diameter. By comparison, the jets of the Alcyonei galaxy are over 16.4 million light years long. The Milky Way is 0.1 million light years in diameter.

Scientists say they have previously been able to record the change in direction of the relativistic jet, but only by 180 degrees. A 90-degree rotation of the jets may be associated with a galaxy merger or black hole activity.

Source: New Atlas, Royal Astronomical Society