Supermassive black holes are some of the most unusual phenomena in the universe, usually found at the center of their host galaxies. However, it happens that the holes are pushed out of the "home" and they begin a lonely journey across vast expanses of deep space.
A group of international researchers discovered a "runaway supermassive black hole" while looking for a strange gas cloud surrounding a dwarf galaxy. Light from a massive astronomical object traveled over 7.5 billion years to reach Earth, and was likely to travel 1,600 km/s.
The researchers explain how a "runaway supermassive black hole" connected to the circumgalactic medium (CGM) might leave a trail of gas and young stars in the space between galaxies, which is thought to account for 40-50 percent of baryonic "normal matter" in the present Universe.
Supermassive black holes are a common feature in almost every large galaxie, such as the Milky Way, where they eat food and energy. However, there are occasions when they are forced to leave their homes.
Researchers argue that when two galaxies merge, the black holes at their centers form a system with the two outermost objects orbiting the new formation's center of gravity, likely 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 hole's cores is pushed into outer space.
Scientists claim that a "runaway supermassive black hole" is the best explanation for the observed phenomena.
